Ripples from a Butterfly
by lizieaxes
Summary: Past and Future members of the Order of the Phoenix are pulled together at Hogwarts during Christmas, 1980 by an 18 year old Harry Potter.  The Order must read seven books that may help them change the future for the better.
1. Chapter 1: The Gathering

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN Harry Potter or any intellectual property related to the books or anything. I am writing this for fun and not for profit. Really. Promise.

AN: Hello! I am trying my hand at this characters reading the books idea. I know it has been over done to the extreme but, Oh Well! I am also looking for a beta for this story, if you are interested let me know.

The characters that gather to read will both be from the past and future (alas no new generation) and will all be members of the Order of the Phoenix. Those characters from the first Order are all from 1980. I am not sure the timing of all of them dying except for James and Lily of course so, just suspend your disbelief and go with it, yah?

Albus Dumbledore (from 1997)

Aberforth Dumbledore (from 1998)

Minerva McGonagall (from 1998)

Alastor Mad-Eye Moody (from 1997)

Remus John Lupin (from 1998)

Nymphadora Tonks Lupin (from 1998)

Kingsley Shacklebolt (from 1998)

Dedalus Diggle (from 1998)

Elphias Doge (from 1998)

Severus Snape (from 1998)

Arabella Figg (from 1998)

Mundungus Fletcher (from 1998)

Rubeus Haggrid (from 1998)

Hestia Jones (from 1998)

Emmeline Vance (from 1996)

Arthur Weasley (from 1998)

Molly Weasley (from 1998)

Bill Weasley (from 1998)

Fleur Weasley (from 1998)

Charlie Weasley (from 1998)

George Weasley (from 1998)

Fred Weasley (from 1998)

Sirius Black (from 1996)

Edgar Bones (from 1980)

Caradoc Dearborn (from 1980)

Benjy Fenwick (from 1980)

Frank Longbottom (from 1980)

Alice Longbottom (from 1980)

Neville Longbottom (baby!)

Marlene McKinnon (from 1980)

Dorcas Meadows (from 1980)

Gideon Prewett (from 1980)

Fabian Prewett (from 1980)

Lily Potter (from 1980)

James Potter (from 1980)

Harry Potter (baby!)

Whew! A lot of people I know. If I forgot anyone or anything let me know. Keeping 36 wizards and witches straight and giving them all face time will be a task. But we can try. Oh, also, the text from the book _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ will be in bold. I am American so I will try to get all the British-isms correct. If not, I apologize in advance and please bare with the American version of the book.

Anyway, onwards and upwards!

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><p>Chapter 1: The Gathering<p>

The Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was silent. The enchanted ceiling showed grey clouds disgorging multitudes of snow while the shining fairy lights and evergreen trees proclaimed the happy time of year. As it was the winter holidays, in fact the day after Christmas, the castle was devoid of children and most adults as well. As the hour struck 3pm, a bright flash and a loud _pop_ disturbed the calm silence of the Hall. Three people appeared in front of the doors all touching ratty old glove.

James Potter put the glove in a pocket in his robes. Looking around at the empty Hall he noticed the large round table set up in the middle of the room where the House tables usually resided.

"I see we're the to arrive." Lily Potter walked over to the table and sat. She looked at her husband and snorted at his need to state the obvious. She began bouncing her six-month-old baby boy in her lap to keep him entertained as they waited for others to arrive. James stared up at the ceiling as he impatiently hopped up and down. Both Potter adults were happy to be out of their house, where they had been in hiding until the notice from Albus Dumbledore requested their presence at an important Order of the Phoenix meeting.

The doors to the Entrance Hall opened with a loud bang causing all the Potters to jump. Lily and James faced the door with wands drawn and baby Harry hidden in Lily's robes.

"No need for those, you two." The cheerful voice of Alice Longbottom called before any spells were exchanged. Lily laughed and ran to greet her friend while James greeted the eight other Order members who walked into the Great Hall. Everyone hugged and cooed over little Harry and little Neville Longbottom.

"So any idea why Dumbledore wanted all of us here-"

"-the day after Christmas?" The Prewett twins asked as they sat at the table next each other once everyone ceased with the hugs and obligatory "and how are you's."

"Not a clue. Where is everyone else?" Asked Marlene McKinnon as she and the rest of those present settled themselves at the table as well. She sat beside Lily to tickle Harry on his tummy producing entertaining burbles as he laughed and squirmed.

"Not a clue." Caradoc Dearborn smiled playfully at Marlene who snorted and rolled her eyes. Caradoc opened his mouth to make another comment when a loud bang echoed through the Hall making both babies cry. Several flustered people found themselves standing in the Great Hall with wands pointed at them. Minerva McGonagall tucked a loose hair behind her ear while quickly surveying the situation. She held up her empty hands motioned for those with her to do the same.

"We are not here for a fight. In fact, I do not know why we have all appeared here." She looked around at all the faces of people she thought were long dead and seemed fall back clutching her chest in shock. A squeaky voice from the middle of the newly arrived group exclaimed, "Lily and James Potter! Oh my word! Have we died Minerva?"

McGonagall looked at Dedalus Diggle askance as she pulled herself together. "No, Dedalus, I don't believe we have. Although, Merlin knows I have been wrong about things before."

The old members of the Order were stunned to see a much older looking Minerva McGonagall as well as many others including Aberforth Dumbledore and Elphias Doge. Before anyone else could comment on the likelihood of premature death, a redheaded force of nature screeched from the back of the newly arrived Order members.

"Fabian! Gideon!" Molly Weasley pushed through the mass of shocked people and ran to her brothers. She grabbed both men in a hug that had them both laughing while trying to pry themselves from her strong grip in an attempt to breathe. "It's been so long! I've missed you! I…" The rest was unintelligible as Molly buried her head between her brothers' and sobbed.

This set off another round of rather confused greetings between the two groups as those from the past tried to process why their friends and family looked as though they had aged a great deal and those from the future greeting people long dead. James hugged a startled McGonagall. "Minnie! I've missed you!"

McGonagall gave a watery laugh and tapped him on the back. It seemed that was all she was able to do to scold him for using her least favorite nickname. She pulled back and held him at arms length and laughed again. Taking a deep breath, McGonagall turned to the room at large.

"Well, why don't we all sit down and piece together what has happened in an orderly fashion." Everyone moved to do as the witch asked and the sound of screeching chairs filled the Hall as people began sitting down at the large round table.

"Well, we do everything in an Orderly fashion-," said Fabian as he plopped into the chair to the right of his sister.

"Because we are all members of the Order!" Finished Gideon, who sat on his sister's other side.

Many people around the table groaned good-naturedly. Marlene just rolled her eyes again. She looked at McGonagall and noticed how different all of the new comers looked. "Minerva, perhaps if you explain what you know we can piece together what is happening?"

McGonagall nodded and explained that all those that appeared with her had been in a remembrance meeting. She was reluctant to tell these people about the end of the war. The statute on time travel and not changing things exists for a reason after all. She managed to get the gist of the meeting across to those in the room without giving away too much information about the future.

"So, you all were meeting to remember past Order members and to decide how best to help the Ministry protect the school in the upcoming year?" Frank Longbottom leaned back in his chair. Looking to all those from the future to see their response. The future folks nodded and looked to McGonagall to explain further.

"Yes, essentially. We are hoping to provide a safe learning environment for new and returning students as last year was a bit…disruptive." Many of those from the future snorted at the Headmistress' understatement. As Frank leaned forward to inquire as to how disruptive a year it was, many loud pops sounded throughout the Hall sounding like fireworks going off indoors. The room was in chaos again as babies cried and people dove for their wands.

When the pops ended, several more people were standing in the Hall with bewildered faces and wands out of their own. McGonagall rushed forward to one figure in particular and let out a cry of shock. "Albus! Is that you?" She through herself at the elderly wizard in a very un-McGonagall like fashion and hugged him tight.

Albus Dumbledore chuckled lightly as he patted his colleague's back. He too surveyed the room and was amazed at the number of people both living and long thought dead. He noticed the Order members from the late 70's and those from the 90's were all mixed together near the large circular table in the middle of the Great Hall. He also noticed that those that had appeared with him were still watching everything warily.

Again, Molly Weasley let out a piercing screech as she spotted one figure near Dumbledore. "Fred! My Freddie!" Red hair bounded towards Fred Weasley as his brothers and parents realized he was standing there. A massive group hug ensued with sobs and laughter aplenty.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and managed to quiet the room down again. "While I am enjoying the exuberant atmosphere, it may be best to figure out what has transpired to bring us all together today." His eyes twinkled as McGonagall wiped her eyes and straightened her hair in an effort to pull herself together. "I must say, I am most surprised to wind up here as the last thing I can recall is feeling rather ill and facing a most distressing night on top of the astronomy tower." Said Dumbledore as he moved to sit at the table beside McGonagall. He looked down at his perfectly healthy hand that had been blackened and cursed with a touch of bemusement. He flexed it as the others in the room started to settled down in their chairs.

"Prongs?" A hoarse voice sounded from a shadowed corner. Sirius Black stood staring at his long lost friend with wonder. Another two figures turned toward the voice. The two ran towards Sirius as he continued to stare at James.

"Sirius! Padfoot!" Sirius found himself with armfuls of his younger cousin and Remus Lupin. Nymphadora Tonks Lupin and her husband hugged Sirius tightly as they guided him to the table where they broke apart enough for James to be included in the group hugging. Lily looked on and laughed as baby Harry reached out in an effort to join in on the emotional reunion of Marauders and Tonks.

Dumbledore cleared his throat again to bring order to his Order. As he began to speak he noticed a lone figure who had not joined the table or the happy reunions. "Severus, my boy, do join us." The entire group of people turned towards the shadowy figure in black. Mad-Eye abruptly stood and pulled his wand as did Remus and Tonks. A blue tinted transparent shield appeared between Severus Snape and those with their wands drawn. "We are all members of the Order of the Phoenix here. That includes Severus. I expect all of you to act with respect towards others and to do as I say in this matter."

Those with their wands drawn were clearly not happy with the situation but lowered their wands non-the-less. Snape, who had not moved to draw a weapon or it seemed to even hear the Headmaster has remained still with his eyes fixed on one person. Lily Potter handed her curious son to James and stood up. She crossed to Snape with the slow steady movements of someone trying not to scare off a wild animal.

"You joined the Order?" She asked softly as she reached him. He nodded slightly and then looked down, confused to see her hand reaching for his own. "Then come sit down at the table with the rest of us." It was clear that whatever animosity was between the two was not done with, but the olive branch had been accepted and Snape found himself sitting next to the Headmaster while Lily sat back in her seat next to James. The situation was so strange that Snape couldn't really come up with proper snide remark to the Marauders.

The people sitting around the table were obviously uncomfortable with the former Death Eater in their midst but the curiosity as to why they were pulled together over powered the mistrust for the moment. As everyone turned to look at Dumbledore for some sort of guidance, he chuckled. "Well, my friends, we find ourselves in a vary curious situation indeed. As my last memory has to do with a certain tower," Snape and many others flinched at this reference to Dumbledore's last moments of life, "might I assume that many others' last memory are from equally trying times?"

As he looked around to those around the table, many of them nodded. "The Veil and Bella." Stated Sirius as Remus and Tonks commented on fighting Dolohov. Snape reached a hand unconsciously to his throat and murmured, "Nagini and Potter's eyes." When people stared at him he placed his icy mask in place and stared at the table so as not to see the knowing look the Headmaster was twinkling his way.

Alice looked around at the somber faces of those from the future. "I'm sorry, but we don't seem to remember that, or at least not like that. We," she indicated all those from the past, "were called to an Order meeting here by you, Headmaster, and Lily and James were even given a portkey."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "It seems that those of you from 1980 were called to a meeting here in the Great Hall while those of us from the future were also called, but in a different way." He looked about at the merry decorations and smiled. "I can remember no time that I called a meeting of this nature in 1980 so I will assume that it was not really I who gathered us all together. That does not negate the thrill and happiness seeing all of your faces gives me, however." He beamed at everyone watching him around the table.

The Weasley twins and Prewett twins jumped to their feet and clapped and cheered at the same time. They broke off momentarily to stare at each other then broke into peals of laughter and vowed to plan future pranks with each other. A bright flash of red and gold light interrupted them as seven books appeared out of thin air and landed on the table with a collective thud in front of Dumbledore. An envelope floated down to rest on top of the nearest book. "Ah, perhaps we can discover why we are all here now." Said Dumbledore as he picked the letter up and examined it. He opened the missive and after reading it through raised his eyebrows. He looked at those gathered in the room.

"Well, it seems we have been brought together to read these books in an effort for some of us to have closer and for some of us to perhaps change the future for the better." At the confused looks of nearly everyone in the room, Dumbledore smiled and said, "Perhaps it would just be easier to read the note, hm?"

_To the Headmaster and Order members,_

_I know it's not everyday you find yourselves in this position and somewhat strange company. My friends and I thought you would like the chance to all really get to know each other as well as gain the opportunity to change the future for the better, if you so wish it. With the enormous help of my friend, who is a genius after all, I have managed to send a large number of you back in time to Christmas of 1980 from either the time of your death or from the "secret meeting" Professor McGonagall was holding. I assure you, it was not nearly secret enough for us to not figure out what you were doing._

_In any case, we found a spell that allows you all to know a bit about the future and how to defeat Tom Riddle. Unfortunately (for me), the spell pulled my own thoughts and experiences and put them into the seven books you see in front of you. It is not always going to be from my perspective, but the majority of it will be. I ask you to not judge me harshly on my internal thoughts and emotions as they were just that, internal. Think how you would feel having your inner most thoughts published for a number of people to read._

_It is also imperative that no action is taken until ALL of the books are read. I trust you, Headmaster, to keep people calm and offensive spells to a minimum. Also, James, Remus, and Sirius, you are NOT to antagonize Professor Snape. I do not like bullies and feel that since you are all out of school, you should act like it. Lily, you may do what is necessary to keep them in line. The same goes for you, Tonks. _

_This parchment is enchanted to allow you to communicate with my friends and I. Simply write your question on the back and we will be able to respond. Also, the Hogwarts House Elves will be providing you with food and you have the castle to yourselves until you complete reading. Good luck, and remember to do nothing about what you learn until you finish._

_Sincerely,_

_Harry James Potter (with major help from Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley)_

As Dumbledore finished reading, the baby in Lily's arms let out a loud giggle and smiled at everyone at the table. The room turned to look at little Harry. Caradoc gestured to the smiling baby. "_He_ gathered us here?"

McGonagall sniffed indignantly. "Certainly not. His counterpart in 1998 sent us here. Obviously with the help of Ms. Granger and your youngest children, Molly." Molly nodded looking both angry at being pulled into the past without her permission and being delighted at the opportunity to spend time with her family and brothers again.

"Well, it seems as we are all here and I doubt we will be able to leave the castle, we should just go ahead and do as we are asked and read the books." He lifted the book closest to him. "This book says it is Year One. Entitled** Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone**. Since I am already holding the book, I might as well read first. I suggest we take turns reading as having one person read these aloud might be a bit trying on our throats." He looked around the room and smiled at everyone. "But first," He stood and waved his wand and all of the wooden chairs morphed into cushy plush chairs in all sorts of garish colors. "There. No reason we should be uncomfortable while we read."

Dumbledore sat in his own purple squashy monstrosity as he opened to the book to the first chapter and ignored the glower from his Potions Master who now sat in a bright gold and red-checkered recliner. "**Chapter One: The Boy-Who-Lived.**"


	2. Chapter 2: The Boy Who Lived

AN: Wow! So many alerts, favorites, and reviews within an hour or so of this story going up. You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for you support. I would like to encourage you all to leave reviews as well. And you know, if I goof up, please let me know and I can try and go back and change it if it isn't too major. I try to respond to everyone that reviews. If you reviewed and I didn't respond, I apologize; I didn't mean to ignore you.

If you need to reassure yourself that I do not, in fact, own any part of the Harry Potter franchise please direct yourself to the first chapter where you will see a handy-dandy disclaimer. These are not my characters, I am just playing with them to stave off my Harry Potter addiction until the final movie comes out…and most probably after as well.

Also, it was pointed out to me that I made a tiny little boo-boo in how old the baby boys are. I said they were 6 months when really both are just shy of 5 months. Oops!

Chapter 2: The Boy-Who-Lived

_Previously in our saga-_

"_Well, it seems as we are all here and I doubt we will be able to leave the castle, we should just go ahead and do as we are asked and read the books." He lifted the book closest to him. "This book says it is Year One. Entitled__** Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone**__. Since I am already holding the book, I might as well read first. I suggest we take turns reading as having one person read these aloud might be a bit trying on our throats." He looked around the room and smiled at everyone. "But first," He stood and waved his wand and all of the wooden chairs morphed into cushy plush chairs in all sorts of garish colors. "There. No reason we should be uncomfortable while we read."_

_Dumbledore sat in his own purple squashy monstrosity as he opened to the book to the first chapter and ignored the glower from his Potions Master who now sat in a bright gold and red-checkered recliner. "__**Chapter One: The Boy-Who-Lived.**__"_

"Who?" Benjy Fenwick sat forward in his own outrageously colored squashy chair.

The sound of a loud nose blowing was heard and all heads turned to the largest Order member as he put his hanky away in his pocket. "Thas' the name what they gave little 'Arry there." Hagrid gave a great sniff as he looked at the little baby with messy black hair sitting in Lily's lap.

Benjy, who was not the only past Order member to look confused asked, "Why?"

Above the growing din of questions and answers Dumbledore spoke, "Perhaps, if we read the book, the answers to most of our deepest inquiries will be revealed." Taking the hint, the room quieted down again to let the Headmaster read.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four,**

"Hey, isn't Dursley your sister's last name now?" James turned to his wife who was looking rather ill.

"Unfortunately." She nodded, not liking why a book about her son started off with her obnoxious sister and her odious husband.

**Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. **

"No, thank you." Fred stated with as much false politeness as he could.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. **

"Oh! What are dreals?" asked Arthur excitedly. Molly rolled her eyes at her husband's obsession and huffed.

Lily laughed and said, "Drills, Arthur, d-r-i-l-l-s. I have a feeling there are going to be a lot more Muggle terms so why don't right them down and we can discuss the later when we take a break in the reading?"

Arthur looked at the rest of the people who were looking irritated at the interruptions. "Of course, of course." He nodded and promptly jotted his question on the spare piece of parchment his wife handed him.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **

Snape snorted and shared a covert look with Lily. _Petunia had not changed an ounce since their childhood_.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"Ha! If Dudders is small then I have blond hair and both my ears," exclaimed George whose hair suddenly turned a violent shade of yellow and sprouted two elephant ears from the sides of his head. He looked affronted at his twin who was pocketing his wand again. Fred shrugged and gave a mischievous smile.

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

George pouted for a second then took his own wand out and conjured a pair of large gold hoop earrings that dangled elegantly from the elephant ears. He shook his head to hear them jangle and flipped his yellow hair in a manner that was rather reminiscent of his half Veela sister-in-law. He batted his eyelashes at his twin and smiled a silly grin. "What? If you are going to do, you might as well do it proper, like."

Many people in the room snickered at the Weasley twins' antics while Fleur narrowed her eyes and Snape and few others chose to not dignify the happenings with even a snort of amusement.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

"Oh, don't worry. We feel the exact same about you, you harpy. Ow!" James rubbed his head where his had smacked him.

"She is still my sister James, don't call her a harpy."

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband **

"Hey!"

Snape sneered at James in complete with the second half of the statement. James was good-for-nothing as far as the Potions Master was concerned.

**were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. **

"Thank Merlin," someone muttered. Several people nodded in agreement.

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that. **

McGonagall scoffed indignantly. She looked at baby Harry who was industriously sucking his fist and thought of the Harry she had taught for six years.

Many other Order members were watching the baby in Lily's lap with a mixture of smiles and similar looks to McGonagall.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. **

"Ugh, what a horrible child," stated Arabella Figg who had personal experience with Dudley. She absent-mindedly rubbed her leg remembering when he had run over her broken leg on purpose.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. **

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. **

Several more people verbally agreed with Arabella's earlier statement and many more bore disgusted faces as they envisioned the scene with a baby Dudley.

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again. **

"Well, that can't be a good idea while driving an auto-mobile," huffed Dedalus Diggle. His enamor of the Dursley's had faded quite a bit during the past year that he and Hestia had to guard the ungrateful Muggles.

**There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. **

"Minnie, is that you?" asked James with a cheeky smile for his former Head of House.

McGonagall sighed, "Yes, it was me. Now be quiet, we are only on the second page of this book and we have wasted enough time with interruptions!"

**As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. **

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. **

"Wait, why is that strange?" asked Marlene. Lily opened her mouth to answer but a different voice sounded first.

"Muggles ceased wearing cloaks and robes at least a hundred years ago. These items are only worn as part of costumes on Hallowe'en or at festivals where the Muggles pretend to travel back in time to Medieval Europe." Everyone looked slightly startled at having the dour former Headmaster and resident Slytherin speak so accurately about Muggle culture. Snape looked at everyone icily before crossing his arms and glowering once more in silence.

"Um, thank you, Sna- er…Severus," Marlene nodded awkwardly.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something... **

"How is it obvious? How does his miniscule little brain jump from cloaked weirdos to grifters?" asked Benjy indignantly. Lily and James just shook their heads at their brother-in-law's crazy reasoning.

**yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open- mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

"Well, no wonder his child is a brute, look what he has for a father!" Emmeline Vance spoke for the first time, thoroughly disgusted by this grotesque Muggle's behavior.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"That was his lunch? No wonder he is severely over-weight!" Molly scoffed and folded her arms.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

**"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard yes, their son, Harry" **

"What? What about their son, Harry?" exclaimed James as he worriedly ran a hand through his son's hair.

"Prongs, I'm sure the chapter will go over that shortly. Don't worry. Harry is mostly fine." Remus stepped in to sooth his friend. He leaned over Sirius to give his fellow Marauder a nice manly squeeze on the shoulder to show his support. Lily eyed them and smiled at the boys' need to appear macho in front of the rest of Order.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. **

Lily's eyebrows rose. "Is he actually worried about us?"

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid. **

"Well, that's a given," laughed Sirius as others chuckled as well.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. **

"Not in Wizarding Britain, there isn't," said as he rocked his own baby. Neville had dropped off to sleep and quietly drooling on his father's arm.

**Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that... but all the same, those people in cloaks... **

Lily sighed. "Nope, guess it was just wishful thinking. He cares about everyone knowing about his "weirdo" relatives." She rested her head on her husband's shoulder as Marlene patted her back sympathetically.

Snape looked on and growled at Tuney's treatment of her sister. Lily may have married the leader of the Marauders but she was still Lily and deserved so much better.

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. **

**"Sorry," he grunted,**

"He knows tha' word?" exclaimed Hagrid in shock. Dumbledore smiled at the half giant before continuing to read.

**as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" **

Mcgonagall sighed loudly. "Dedalus, was that you? Not only were you shooting red sparks about but you were talking about You-Know-Who to random Muggles?"

Dedalus giggled unapologetically and smiled broadly at the older witch.

Caradoc held up his hands in confusion. "Wait, did you just tell Dursley that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is gone? As in dead? As in deceased and no longer on this plane of existence? As in, he has shuffled off this mortal coil, gone?"

"Yes, Caradoc, we believed that Voldemort," Dumbledore paused as the majority of people sitting at the table shrieked and shuddered. He sighed, "Really, everyone it is imperative that you learn to say his name. It only gives Voldemort power over you to fear saying a name that he made up for himself." A few people bravely nodded to this advice. It was clear that more work was still needed in this area.

"As I was saying, we believed Voldemort to have been destroyed. We were, unfortunately, mistaken. But, I believe this issue will be addressed in the book so we shall move forwards in our pursuit of knowledge."

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off. **

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination. **

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. **

"Och, Minerva, you sat out there the entire day? Weren't you stiff?" asked Emmeline as she rubbed her back as though thinking of sitting anywhere that long produced sympathy pains.

McGonagall narrowed her eyes at the Headmaster and replied with a curt, "Yes."

**"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. **

James and Sirius broke into undignified giggles. "You don't tell Minnie to, 'Shoo!'" They laughed harder as McGonagall simply smirked at them and raised an eyebrow at their behavior.

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife. **

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). **

Mutterings of "horrible child" again broke out around the table.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news: **

**"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" **

"You think that man knew what was going on? He seems rather in the know, you know?" asked Mundungus Fletcher who had, until this point, tried to blend in and not get noticed by any of the other inhabitants of the Great Hall. Everyone turned to look at him in somewhat shock. Tonks blinked at him for a second then scratched her deep purple spiky hair.

"You know, it might have been my dad. He worked for a Muggle news agency for a while way back when." She shrugged and leaned against Remus leaving James Potter to look at his friend with a knowing smile and a raised eyebrow. Remus rolled his eyes but returned the grin and put his arm around his wife.

**"Well, Ted," said the weatherman, **

"Yup, my dad." Tonks smiled proudly as she thought of her father who had died fighting against the Death Eaters.

**"I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! **

McGonagall huffed something that sounded like "Dedalus" under her breath as the man in question giggled again in his squeaky little voice.

**Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." **

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters... **

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

"Besides exchanging useless Christmas presents via the post? Thank Merlin, no," Lily said while rocking little Harry, who like his friend, had also fallen asleep. His small fist was still shoved in his mouth in a slimy mess that somehow still looked cute on the messy haired nearly five-month-old.

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister. **

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting **

**stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..."**

"So they all looked like you, then?" asked Fabian as his brother and his nephews laughed and high fived each other.

**"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

**"Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd." **

"Her crowd? What does her mean 'her crowd?'" Edgar Bones asked indignantly. He huffed and crossed his arms and glared at the book as no one in the room answered him.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

**"What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

George snorted and waggled his large elephant ears. "_Howard_ Potter! That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard! Get it? Heard?" He pointed energetically at his ears and waggled them again making the hoop earrings clank.

Fred groaned and smacked the back of George's head. "That is just pathetic, that is."

**"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me." **

"Hey! It is not! Harry is a lovely name, Tuney. You're just jealous because we thought of a normal name and you named you little baby whale, '_Dudley_!'" Lily yelled at the book. Little Harry woke in his mother's arms at the noise and James immediately took possession of his son. He sat the baby on his knee and bounced him up and down to a nursery about horses.

Sirius smiled at the baby and thought of the Harry he knew in the future. He thought that the hair, eyes, and especially the smile had not changed.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree." **

Arthur laughed and nodded as he gave his wife a wink, "Yes, the international marriage rule of 'yes dear.' I know it well." He smiled as Molly rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully on the chest. The other husbands around the table laughed and shared glances as well.

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something. **

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it. **

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them... **

Dumbledore sighed as he came to the end of the paragraph. The Dursley's had been the only way to protect Harry from rogue Death Eaters and any other wizards or witches wishing to do the boy harm. He knew it would have made a difficult childhood for the boy, but also knew that some sacrifices had to be made for the greater good.

**How very wrong he was. **

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

"Really, Minerva, you have all of our sympathies," stated Hestia Jones as the other women nodded. McGonagall nodded to the ladies and went back to glaring between the book and the Headmaster.

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. **

"Looking rather like she does right now, I'd reckon," Sirius stage whispered to Remus. A corner of McGonagall's mouth twitching was the only indication that she had heard and was slightly amused by the comment.

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. **

Aberforth snorted, "It has." He eyed his brother, not at all fooled by the twinkling blue eyes.

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. **

Both Weasley twins pounded the table and started to sing, "His name was Albus Dumbledore, Albus, Albus Dumble-y Dore! And he walked along until he met a, met a Wh-"

"BOYS!" Molly screeched after silencing the twins with a seemingly well practice flick of her wand. Their uncles were snickering along with a few others around the table including Aberforth. "There are young ears present and that is vulgar language!"

"Well, you know Mum, you have used language like that, too. Weren't you the one to call Bellatrix Lestrange a-" Bill Weasley stopped mid sentence at the look on his mother's face. "Er…rhymes with witch?"

Molly's face grew redder as she geared up for a full on telling down.

"Molly, it was merely an entertaining limerick," said Dumbledore as he chuckled along with the others. "I will not, however comment on the validity of the lyrics. A little mystery never goes amiss, after all." He winked at the twins and began to read again in the shocked silence that followed those words.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

McGonagall nodded and said, "Yes you should have."

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, **

Dumbledore chuckled at the author's name for his Deluminator.

**until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. **

"You know, I have always wondered why the Head of Gryffindor House always green," comment Edgar from his place across from McGonagall.

"It has more to do with my family colors than anything really. And let's face it, bright red does not go well with my complexion," stated McGonagall as she primly straightened her robes and patted her bun.

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked. **

James snorted, "Oh, come on, Minnie! Who doesn't know what your Animagus form looks like?"

McGonagall looked shrewdly at her former student. "I might ask you the same question, Mr. Potter," she said tartly. James promptly stopped laughing and stared at her before turning to his two best friends.

"She knows? How does she know? Why does she know? And now that I am thinking of it, why isn't our forth Marauder here joining in the festivities?" asked James as he looked around at the table noticing for the first the absence of the rotund wheezy little man who called himself the forth Marauder.

Sirius growled low in his throat and stated simply, "Because Remus and I would kill him on first sight, is my guess." Remus nodded soberly as did many others from the future Order. Snape showed no outward signs of agreeing with the mutt but inwardly vowed to help the despicable little rodent end his miserable life for what he did to Lily – and of course Potter, but mostly Lily.

James shared a rather bewildered look with his wife as he took in the angry faces of those from the future. "Um, alright. This will be covered in these books, right?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Most likely yes."

"Then let's just reading, if that is alright, Sir." James motioned to the book in the Headmaster's hands. Dumbledore nodded again and looked back down at the text.

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly." **

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said **

**Professor McGonagall. **

"Hear, hear!" exclaimed Arabella and was joined by most of the women in the Order.

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here." **

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. **

The McGonagall did the same while crossing her arms, "I should say so."

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense." **

McGonagall shot Dedalus a half apologetic, half stern look. He merely smile good naturedly and shrugged his little shoulders.

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years." **

"So, by that math, this happens sometime next year?" asked Marlene as she and those from the past looked uneasy at this news. The future folks nodded silently. Lily and James leaned into each other. This did not bode well for their next year together.

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?" **

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?" **

"Oh, I would!" said an excited Arthur. Dumbledore beamed at the red-headed patriarch as he reached into his robes and withdrew the confection. Arthur nodded his thanks and stuck the sour treat in his mouth. Dumbledore took another out and held it up.

"Anyone else?" After everyone around the table simply shook their heads and stared at him, Dumbledore smiled and popped the lemon drop in his own mouth before continuing with the story.

**"A what?" **

**"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of" **

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -" **

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name." **

"I agree. I hope everyone here makes an effort to say the proper name," said Dumbledore nodding in agreement to what his book-self was saying.

Sirius looked around, then at Dumbledore. "You know, you just agreed with yourself, sir." The Headmaster merely looked up at him with a twinkle in the old blue eyes. "Right, never mind. Just pointing something out which you already know and I am going to stop talking now." Sirius slumped down in his bright purple and neon orange squashy chair.

**"I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of." **

The Prewett and Weasley twins broke into applause and catcalled (after Gideon canceled the silencing charm on his nephews) to McGonagall to tried her hardest to show that she was not amused.

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have." **

**"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."**

Aberforth crossed his arms and glared at his brother while he muttered, "Now, maybe."

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs." **

"This is not the time, Dumbledore," growled Mad-Eye with a rather ill look that did nothing to improve his already shocking visage.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

All those from the past leaned forward in their chairs, eager to discover what could possibly injure the Dark Lord so badly. Most of the members from the future simply sighed and looked sad.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead. " **

"What? No!" Marlene was the loudest of those protesting the news. James hugged Lily to him as she started crying. The past Order members all got out of their seats and went to hug the couple as if to make certain they were still there. Sirius took the sleeping Harry from James as more people crowded the young couple. He turned to his other friend to find that Remus had managed to get a hold of little Neville. The two men rocked the infants in their arms and smiled sadly at each other and the picture they made.

Snape did not get up to show his support to Lily or Potter. He was too caught up in his own memories of that night to really notice much of anything happening in the Great Hall. He was brought out of the dark place his thoughts had traveled by a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, expecting to see the Headmaster but discovered Minerva. She squeezed his shoulder lightly and leaned in to whisper so that the others couldn't hear, "Harry showed us the memories you gave him, Severus. Now, don't get all indignant about it, he insisted that you receive an Order of Merlin and a hero's burial and Kingsley and I needed to be convinced. I am sorry that I ever doubted you and that you had to endure the past year on your own, my friend."

Snape simply looked at her former colleague dumbfounded. He looked up to see Kingsley Shacklebolt watching from across the table. Kingsley just nodded at Snape and gave him a small reassuring smile. Snapped gave a small nod back and looked back at the witch who still had a hand on his shoulder. He cleared his throat a tad self-consciously. "Thank you, Minerva." She smiled briefly at him before sitting back in her own outrageously colored armchair.

A fully stocked tea service appeared in the middle of the table with enough snacks and warm tea for three times as many people as were present. The calming liquid and availability of snacks helped to bring order back to the Order once again. Finally, after nearly ten minutes, the commotion died down and everyone was ready to continue reading, although a few sniffles still sounded around the table.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

The sound of a loud foghorn interrupted the Headmaster. Everyone looked to Hagrid who was patting his nose with his overused hanky. "Sorry," he muttered as he looked down at the table, wiping his eyes with his great saucer-like hand.

**"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..."**

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily. **

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone."**

Everyone single person turned to look at the baby snuggled on his godfather's chest. He had switched his fist for his thumb and was sucking on it contentedly in his sleep. Caradoc snorted. Everyone switched their gaze to him. "I was just thinking that the only way that baby could get with of Vol- Voldemort was if he was forced to change his nappies." Everyone blinked at the man before a few snickers broke out followed by some giggling, which led to all out laughing. It was a welcome break in the tension the mood lightened considerably.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

**"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?" **

**"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know." **

"Liar," muttered Snape too low for anyone besides Dumbledore to hear.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

"Oh, please Sir, there has to be a better solution. My sister is going to be just awful to Harry. She hates me and my magic and anything that has to do with me or my magic and Harry," Lily gestured to the sleeping boy in Sirius' arms, "Harry is such a large connection to BOTH my magic and to me."

Dumbledore held up a hand to stave off Lily's pleading and James supportive grunts. "I am sorry my dear, but it is safest place for him. You will see why I am sure." Lily sighed, but did not look happy about the arrangement for her son's future.

**"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter." **

"A letter! Albus you explained what happened in a letter?" Molly stood up and shouted across the table at the Headmaster. Meanwhile, Lily had also jumped to her feet in a rage.

"You let me sister, my _sister_, know about my death and the circumstances there of – in a letter? You didn't even tell her that her sister was murdered to her face? How could you?" Lily stamped her foot in frustration as tears streamed down her face. She angrily wiped them away and swatted at James hand as he tried to calm her down and get her back in her chair.

Dumbledore had the good grace to look at least a little guilty as he looked down at the tabletop. Elphias Doge shook his head at his long time friend and said, "coward," under his breath affectionately. Eventually both Molly and Lily flopped back in their chairs however their faces showed the matter was far from closed for either redhead.

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!" **

It was Snape's turn to look disgusted as he thought of the ill-gotten celebrity status of the Boy-Who-Lived. _Arrogant little twit just like his father._

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?" **

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

**"You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as **

**this?" **

McGonagall sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose under her glasses. "I apologize Hagrid for not having faith in your caretaking abilities. It is only that you are known to, well, not keep things very secret. And, a baby is far different from a Thestral."

Hagrid shrugged a large shoulder, "Thas' alrigh' Perfessor. I understand." He shrugged again but it was clear that his feelings had been at least slightly hurt.

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore. **

Hagrid again drew out his garish hanky and blew his nose. "Thank you, sir."

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"**

"I can see why Harry was rather uncomfortable with the idea of all of us reading these books about him and his inner thoughts," mumbled McGonagall as she ignored Hagrid's slumped shoulders and the glares she was receiving from a number of the people sitting around the table.

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. **

Sirius smiled and nodded at Hagrid as he rhythmically rubbed Harry's back. "Ah, memories. I miss that old girl. What happened to Lucy anyway?"

Arthur cleared his throat and spoke up before Hagrid could, "I am currently in possession of, er…Lucy, was it?"

Dedalus leaned forward excitedly, "What are we talking about and who is Lucy?"

"My motorbike and I named her Lucy in honor of my favorite Beatles song at the time," said Sirius with a nostalgic look in his eye.

Lily laughed and asked, "You know the Beatles?"

Sirius carefully shrugged without disturbing Harry. "Sure, anything to annoy my Mum and the song was really quite catchy."

"If we could kindly get back to the reading, ladies and gentlemen?" asked Kingsley in an effort to stop the conversation from degenerating into an argument on the best Muggle bands of 70's.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets. **

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?" **

"From me!" declared Sirius proudly.

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sit," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir." **

"See?"

"No one argued with you, Padfoot," sighed Remus as he shifted Neville to his other arm, as his left was currently asleep along with the baby.

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol." **

Many people around the table "awe-d" and leaned to get a better look at the Harry in the room who doing a wonderful impression of his book-self.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

**"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall. **

Sirius hugged Harry to him a little tighter as James and Lily held hands in support of each other.

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

"Unfortunately," muttered George as his twin nodded. They both knew how much Harry truly hated that scar and everything it stood for all the problems it cause for him in the Wizarding World.

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?" **

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. **

"Gone off track again there, Dumbledore," Moody said as he shook his scraggly head.

**Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with." **

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

**"Could I - could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog. **

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"**

"Thank you for caring so much, Hagrid," said Lily as she gave the half giant a watery smile.

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out. **

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations." **

"You left him on the doorstep!" The loud yell came from Alice Longbottom surprisingly. She had shot to her feet with her hands balled in tight fists at her side. "You left a baby in a few blankets on the doorstep of a house in the middle of the night? What time of year was this?"

McGonagall cleared her throat and answered for the headmaster, "It was the night of November First."

"November! You left an infant on a doorstep in the middle of the night, in the _cold_, in the hopes that that shrew of a woman would play some sort of Pharaoh's daughter and pluck the sleeping babe right up into her welcome arms?" Alice said all of this in a loud hiss and was joined in her standing position by a good number of people including her husband and of course Lily and James who were outraged at the treatment of their son.

"Please calm down, all of you. I assure you I placed heating charms, safety wards and other practical charms on young Harry to keep him quite safe until his aunt took him into the home. I also assure Lily and James, that I made it quite clear in the letter that the boy had no where else to go and that a reasonable stipend would be delivered to the Dursleys each month in order to help pay for the added expenses of another baby in the household," Dumbledore put his hands in an effort to express his desire for those who were upset to calm down and perhaps to block any attacks that might have come his way.

Those who were standing sat down reluctantly but remained stony-faced and upset with the leader of the Order of the Phoenix. This was just added to the list of grievances Dumbledore had accrued so far.

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir." **

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

There were quite a few angry huffs at this reminder of the previous argument. Aberforth glared at his brother for abandoning another child like he had with their sister.

**"Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, **

Lily and Alice muttered angrily again about abandoning babies and leaving very personal and important information in letters from crazy old wizards who should know better.

**nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley... **

"He was a bully at that age as well, then," murmured Charlie as all of his brothers nodded along.

**He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!" **

Dumbledore somberly put the book down and looked at the people gathered around the table. "That is the end of the chapter my friends."

"And what a rip-roaring-"

"Side-splitting-"

"Laugh-a-minute-"

"One it was too," finished George. Caradoc rolled his eyes at the twins and sighed.

"Yes, well, be that as it may, who would like to read the next chapter?" ask Dumbledore holding the book up as though it were up for auction.

Molly stood up and walked toward the Headmaster. "I will, Albus. Hopefully this next chapter will be far more happy than that last one," said Molly as she slid back into her chair with the book in hand. She turned to the second chapter, cleared her throat and read, "**Chapter Two: The Vanishing Glass**."

AN: Woohoo! The first chapter of the actual book, hot off the presses for all of you fine people out there. I will have you know that I indulged in my kettle korn obsession while writing this and had to share some of the tasty kernels with my dog who was giving me those horrible sappy puppy eyes that say they haven't been fed in a week and will waste away without that piece of food in your hand. You know the look. I, alas, am as powerless against that look as I am against the kettle korn.


	3. Chapter 3: The Vanishing Glass

AN: Goofs in the last chapter – it was pointed out to me that I made a few minor errors in the last chapter. 1) No, Snape is not a woman. I merely entered the wrong pronoun in a sentence where he his talking about his memories with Minnie. Ooops! Sorry to rock your boat there, Sev-sev. 2) The Beatles apparently broke up in 1970. Ha! My brain totally told me that they were around and making groovy tunes in the 70's. Just goes to show you that I should never listen to my brain…wait – er….

So instead of fixing those few mistakes and re-uploading the entire chapter, I am letting you all know that I am aware of the mistakes and now you can look on that chapter like a priceless nickel or penny where the mint only stamped on half of Lincoln's face or something. No? Aw, just go with it.

Again, I thank those folks that pointed out those goofs. I am running on my own steam here with no beta safety net so I tend to overlook these things. Keep me posted on goofs as I will make more and I am fully prepared to get on my knees and beg forgiveness from the fabulous readers of fanfiction everywhere.

Dumbledore bashing – I like Dumbledore. I have nothing against him. That being said I believe the character in the books is far more aware of everything including Harry's childhood and his adventures at school than he leads everyone to believe. He knew what was going on at number four and even if he did not know the specifics he knew enough to be (at least slightly) upset when Harry was not as happy and well fed as Dumbledore would have hoped.

Warning: This warning is for cannon child abuse and neglect as well as implied and discussed further abuse and neglect. It is implied in the books that things are worse for Harry than the children's story is willing to get into. Just the fact that in the second book his aunt flings a frying pan at him and no one bats an eye or his uncle literally strangles him in the fifth book and it is treated as a rather normal occurrence tells us that the situation is not simple neglect and bullying by his cousin. So if you have a problem with this in fanfiction about Harry Potter, you are fair warned.

On a happier note: THANK YOU to everyone who has subscribed to the story and to me personally and of course all of you wonderful people who have reviewed the story as well. You all make my day by just existing and letting me know you exist. Hugs for everyone!

Alright, on with the show (after a massive AN, I know, shrug)

* * *

><p>Chapter 3: The Vanishing Glass<p>

_Previously in our saga-_

_Dumbledore somberly put the book down and looked at the people gathered around the table. "That is the end of the chapter my friends."_

"_And what a rip-roaring-"_

"_Side-splitting-"_

"_Laugh-a-minute-"_

"_One it was too," finished George. Caradoc rolled his eyes at the twins and sighed._

"_Yes, well, be that as it may, who would like to read the next chapter?" ask Dumbledore holding the book up as though it were up for auction._

_Molly stood up and walked toward the Headmaster. "I will, Albus. Hopefully this next chapter will be far more happy than that last one," said Molly as she slid back into her chair with the book in hand. She turned to the second chapter, cleared her throat and read, "__**Chapter Two: The Vanishing Glass**__."_

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets - but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father,**

Arthur made an excited noise and grabbed his parchment to write down "Comb-pewters."

**being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. **

Lily and several others narrowed their eyes suspiciously at this.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

Lily chuckled humorlessly, "Oh, Sweetheart, I have been there and done that. It is definitely not a fun way to wake up in the morning."

**"Up! Get up! Now!" **

Benjy snorted, "Nice."

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

**"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before. **

"Aw, 'e 'members me," sniffed Hagrid as he smiled at little Harry who was still industriously sucking on his fist.

George stuck his hand in the air like he was in class (although it was rather dubious to assume he had ever voluntarily put his hand up in _any_ class before). Dumbledore chuckled and looked over his half-moon glasses at the man. "Yes, Mister Weasley?"

"I was wondering if I had suffered enough for my admittedly poor attempt at humor and if my dearest brother could find it in his identical heart to remove most of his additions to my person."

Fred stood and bowed deeply to his brother, his head nearly hitting his knees. "My esteemed sibling, you have served the required penance for your transgression and this court hereby pardons you forthwith," said Fred in a mockingly high class and stuffy accent. He waved his wand in an overly complex pattern before simply tapping George on the head and intoning, "_Finite Incantatum_."

George reached up to feel his normal right ear and got a nod from his brother that his hair was back to its original eye catching red. The only things remaining from the whole incident were the two hoop earrings; one dangling from his normal ear and the other hanging grotesquely from the hole where the left ear should have been. George flopped his head back and forth making the earrings jangle again. He smiled and said, "Perfect!"

Molly sighed and looked back to the book before her sons could cause another seen.

**His aunt was back outside the door. **

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded. **

"Well, doesn't that just sound familiar?" mumbled Charlie loud enough for Bill to hear but no one else. Bill smiled but tried to hide before his mother saw it.

**"Nearly," said Harry. **

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." **

Lily frowned. _Why would Harry have to help in the kitchen at the age of 10?_ By the slowly darkening looks of many others around the table, this thought was not hers alone.

**Harry groaned. **

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door. **

**"Nothing, nothing..." **

**Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. **

Dedalus shivered in his comfy chair at the thought of spiders crawling over anything he had to wear. Fred and George looks at each other with a smirk remembering when Ron's teddy had been "accidently" transformed into a spider when they were younger.

**Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept. **

The book dropped to the table with a thud that was not heard above the echoing shouts in the Great Hall. Both babies awoke and added their cries to the din. Most of the Order members had jumped to their feet and were yelling at the book, or Dumbledore or at no one in particular. Those who remained in their seats were no less upset but seemed to internalize their feelings.

Snape found himself looking at his own hands as they formed fists on the tabletop. He now knew what the cupboard was that he had seen in Potter's memories during their ill-fated occlumency lessons. He had thought it had been a room for punishments. He understood now that he had been right in a sad way. It was a room for punishment, but it seemed that Lily's sister had not used it to punish the boy in moments of misbehavior. No, Tuney had used it to punish Potter simply for existing. Snape sighed and closed his eyes as he thought that it was not an all-together foreign notion to him.

Lily and James had also stayed in their seats; James more out of shock than anything and Lily had simply broken down into sobs as she realized what her sister had done and quite possibly why. James managed to take a still crying baby Harry from Sirius, who had risen to his feet and was yelling something about drawing and quartering the Dursleys ("And don't think I don't know how to either, you had better believe I learned _something_ in that house growing up!"), and had started bouncing Harry up and down on his knees again and singing.

Alice had also collected her own son and was attempting to calm him as well while the others at the table continued to rail against the powers that be and everyone else they felt it was convenient to. A loud, concussive _BANG_ brought the room to a startled silence but not before the final words of McGonagall's rant were clearly hear, "-of Egypt and stick a long hook up their noses and tug what little brains they have out through their nostrils!"

All eyes turned to McGonagall who went slightly pink but crossed her arms and refused to be embarrassed about what she had said. Dumbledore chuckled, which seemed rather forced, and said, "Well, now that we have gotten all of that out of our systems perhaps we should continue reading if we wish to get through this book, hmm?" He motioned for Molly to pick the book up and continue reading but she sat there looking stonily at the headmaster instead.

"That little boy was there for ten years, Albus. _Ten Years_. Why was this situation overlooked by the Ministry's Child Ware Fare officials?" asked Molly as many others nodded in agreement with her question. Lily and James, who had by now quieted Harry, both looked up, interested in the answer to this question both had been thinking.

It was not Dumbledore that answered the Weasley matriarch, however. "That's because none of them ever came by to check on him. No magical folk came near Privet Drive until them obliviators had to deal with that Marge mess," said Arabella in a quiet but firm voice. She looked at Dumbledore with a bit of anger now as she continued, "Even though I reported that the boy was far too skinny and I saw doing an amount of chores that just seemed to be far too much for one little boy nothing ever happened. I told you, Dumbledore, I told you I don't know how many times that something was not right in that house and all you would ever tell me was that it was the best place for Harry." Arabella finished and crossed her arms over chest mirroring Molly Weasley.

Dumbledore raised his hands as the room began to fill with angry noises again. "Please, I know you are all upset by this, but we need to finish these books before we can leave Hogwarts and move on to whatever we are destined to move on to," he looked around at the frowns and scowls around the table directed mostly at himself. "Please, at least wait until this chapter is over and I will answer what I can, however I am sure the books will answer many questions on their own." After no one else spoke up, Dumbledore once again motioned to Molly to read. After hesitating as though she wished to continue the argument, she nodded slightly and found her place in the book.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television **

Arthur snapped out of his enraged stupor enough to scribble "telly-vision" down on his growing list.

**and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, **

A low growl made everyone shudder and then look at Sirius who had transformed into his animagus form and was growling while pacing behind his chair. Little Harry who had been very interested the contents of the Muggle wallet that Lily had gotten James for his birthday, squealed and made lunge for the great black dog. This was enough to stop Sirius' growling. He pranced over to the baby and allowed James to put Harry on his back. The baby held the fur on his back tightly as Sirius returned to pacing (very slowly and carefully) behind his chair.

**but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast. **

Remus nodded and muttered, "Good." Many others also expressed this feeling while watching the Harry in the room sprawl on Sirius' back as the dog turned to pace the other way.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, **

"Which he wouldn't have been had the proper authorities been involved with all of this," Molly paused to say with a glare at Dumbeldore.

**but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. **

"Bastards," growled Mad-Eye with his normal looking at the book while his magical eye was fixed on Dumbledore as it had been since the cupboard was first mentioned. Snaped sighed again. He seemed to be doing a great deal of that since winding up in the Great Hall with his former enemies and friends. He looked up and met Lily's sympathetic gaze, both remembering his own poor excuse for clothing growing up.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. **

Marlene smiled and looked at the baby who was still squealing in delight as his playmate paced back and forth, seeming to never tire of riding Sirius like a horsey. Lily hugged James and both smiled proudly. It was such a cute image, this future glimpse at what Harry would look like. A mini James for sure but with those big green eyes.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. **

This time it was Aberforth who growled.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. **

Many of those who knew Harry from the future raised their eyebrows at this.

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions." **

Arthur looked at Dumbledore, "I thought you had explained what happened in that letter?"

"I had," said Dumbledore in a quiet voice, the twinkle completely missing from his eyes now.

**Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the **

**Dursleys. **

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon. **

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting. **

The twins snickered at this as Molly sighed and shook her head, "I've tried and it simply refuses to do anything but stick up in all directions."

James laughed a little and ran his hand through his own untidy hair. "That would be my fault. The Potter men have had this hair for as far back as I can remember. It's easier to just embrace the awesomeness of it rather than try to tame it." He shook his head to make it even messier and gave what he thought of as a roguish look to Molly who rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. Snape sneered at the scene and turned to look anywhere but at _Potter_.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place. **

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig. **

Edgar snorted. "He certainly seems to have inherited your cheeky tongue, Lily." Many others nodded and looked fondly at the red headed woman and smiled mischievously back.

"Of course! He may look like me, but even now he definitely acts more like Lily," said James proudly as he put an arm around his wife. From across the table, Snape raised a skeptical eyebrow but remained silent as a comment on the future Harry would probably not go over well with the people in the room.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

Emmeline huffed and rolled her eyes. "What an ungrateful, spoilt little boy."

"Oh, believe us-" said Fred.

"There is absolutely nothing little about Duddy-kins," finished George.

Fred nodded then looked innocently at his brother, "Well, there could be something little about him but we haven't really checked there." George grinned evilly as many others around the snickered at the twins.

"Boys! Honostly, sometimes I just don't know," muttered Molly who, by the looks of her twitching lips, was fighting a smile.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy." **

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over. **

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, **

**"And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?''**

"Well no wonder the hooligan is spoilt! That is no way to handle the situation. That boy will be a menace when he gets older!" huffed Dorcas Meadows. Eyes turned towards her and she slumped in her chair at the attention. She had heretofore attempted to remain out of all the drama but found herself too into the story to remain silent.

Arabella chuckled humorlessly. "Oh believe me, he was a menace at that age as well, the fat, useless lump."

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..." **

Marlene scoffed at this, "What, do these Muggles not teach their children math?"

Lily shook her head, "No, Marlie, they teach math to all children, my nephew seems to be rather dimwitted, however."

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia. **

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair. **

Several mutters of "Ugh" and "Idiot" were heard after this was read.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. **

Arthur steadily wrote down all of these new Muggle items with enthusiasm. He had no idea what a "vid-io cam-Ra" was but thought it might be Egyptian in origin if it was mentioning the ancient sun god.

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried. **

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. **

The Weasley twins laughed and waved merrily at a scowling Arabella.

**Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

At the questioning looks, Arabella shrugged sadly and said, "Those Muggles would never let me take care of him if they thought he had fun at my house. I always tried to give him some food though and I thought he liked my cats anyway."

Caradoc looked at the baby who was now relaxed on his furry friend. "I don't know Figgy, he seems to like dogs better to me." Many people groaned at the this and he just shrugged as if to say "what?"

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again. **

The Prewett twins laughed this time. "Don't forget Tumbles, Tigger, and Mr. Bojangles!" cried Fabian as Gideon nodded gleefully. Arabella just turned her back on the duo indignantly.

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested. **

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy." **

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

Sirius padded over to James who lifted a now sleeping Harry from his back. Alice, who had managed to get Neville to fall back asleep, had conjured a cushioned playpen for the baby and James placed Harry next to the other baby in it. Both boys curled up next to each other with Neville snoring slightly and Harry once again managing to put his fist in mouth.

Having finished his pony rides for the time being, Sirius transformed back into his regular form and sat at the table once more. He sighed and straightened his hair that had been mussed by baby hands. "That must be why he gets so irritated when people talk about him while he's in the room, then. I can tell you from personal experience that it's not fun to be talked about like that."

Benjy leaned forward, "Who-"

"My parents," interrupted Sirius in a tone that told everyone that was the end of that discussion.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?" **

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer). **

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon. **

"So nothing has changed then, Tuney?" mumbled Snape under his breath remembering his childhood with something less than the soul eating regret he had been carrying around since his only friend's murder. He looked across at her rather disgusted face and hid a smile, as he knew she was probably thinking along the same lines as he was.

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled. **

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening. **

Fred sighed, "But where's the fun in that?"

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave him in the car..." **

"You will _not_ be leaving my son locked in a car in the middle of June for hours on end while you and your family waddle around the zoo goggling at the poor unsuspecting inhabitants and acting like the damn fools you are!" raged Lily. She could not believe the extent of vitriol that her sister and her family were spewing out at her baby.

"How do you know it is the middle of June?" asked Marlene.

"That's when Dudley was born," shrugged Lily.

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone..." **

Lily threw up her arms in frustration. She seemed to be beyond words of disgust.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted. **

Hestia shook her head. "Fat pig of a spoilt brat."

**"Dinky Duddydums, **

Quite a few people around the table couldn't hold back their amusement at the new nickname for the baby whale.

**don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him. **

**"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp- spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. **

**Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once. **

Caradoc laughed in amusement at the descriptions of the new comers. "What do they need to go to the zoo for when apparently there is already a horse, a pig, a baby whale and now a rat? Seems there is already quite a menagerie at Privet Drive."

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas." **

"You'd better not you base, bulbous, blubbering buffoon," growled Remus.

"Nice alliteration, Moony. Let's go in alphabetical order with our insults, see if we can get a good range of them going?" Sirius smiled at his friend.

Remus nodded and smirked at the dog animagus.

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen. **

Elphias nodded knowingly. "That will be the accidental magic coming into play. Albus, you did explain about that in your letter didn't you? It's exactly on to just spring magic on non-magic folks."

By Dumbledore's slightly sheepish expression and the fact that he did not meet his old friend's eyes everyone could tell that, in fact, he did not inform the Dursleys what they were in for in regards to young Harry's magical development.

Snape glowered at his former headmaster. He too knew the dangers of springing the magical world onto those who disliked it. Memories of his father's loathing stuck out forcefully in his mind.

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. **

Lily sighed and looked over at her one time best friend. She remembered the kind of abuse he received in the neighborhood because of his clothes and how she always defended him. It seems that her son would have no one to defend him growing up.

**Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

James laughed, "That's my son!"

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, **

"I've got a fancy trunk the Dursley's might like a little vacation in for a month if they like locking people away for no good reason so much," Mad-Eye grinned evilly.

"Wasn't that the trunk you spent the better part of a year trapped in, Mad-Eye? Why would you put other people through that?" asked Tonks, her hair having long ago gone from spiky purple to messy black in support of her young friend in the book.

Mad-Eye shrugged. "Just shows that the trunk works. No point in never using the thing because of that bit of unpleasentness."

**even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly. **

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls) –**

Emmeline looked a bit green at the description. She would never inflict those sorts of clothes on anyone.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit **

**Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished. **

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. **

"Ha! He definitely got that from me. Remember the swings, Sev?" Lily slapped the table and laughed, smiling at sallow man across from her. Snape gave her a small grin and a slight nod, still unsure of showing the others a soft side and where he stood with the red head.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard)**

"These people have no concept of accidental magic! A young child should not be punished for things he cannot help," Benjy leaned back in chair as though trying to lean away from the offending book.

"That's just it, though, Benj," said Lily sadly, "Petunia knew all about accidental magic. She grew up with me, after all. They are just punishing because they are being cruel, nothing else makes sense."

**was jump behind the big trashcans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- jump. **

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles. **

**"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them. **

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Wasn't thinking when he said that, was he?" muttered Aberforth.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!" **

"Mine does you archaic arse," said Sirius proudly.

"Only two words, Padfoot? We need to work or your vocabulary," teased Remus.

"You can do better?" challenged Sirius.

"He is an abhorrent, abominable, awful, appalling arse."

Sirius pouted while Remus beamed at his friend and several people laughed.

**Dudley and Piers sniggered. **

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas. **

Frank laughed, "Well, I don't know about Harry, but it sure would have given you three ideas a plenty in school." He nodded at the three Marauders. "Course, as I remember it, you all didn't need help thinking up pranks."

Snape had difficulty keeping a straight face as he tried not to glare too hard at Potter and his cronies.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond. **

Laughter broke out in the Great Hall. "Who knew our little Harrykins was so funny inside his head?" asked Fred laughing as George shook his and shrugged, also laughing.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. **

Molly stopped reading long enough to mutter about irresponsible parenting and allowing bullying to happen.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first. **

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Argh, will your sprog ever catch a break, Jily?" groaned Gideon.

Lily raised an eyebrow that was rather reminiscent of her childhood friend and crossed her arms over chest. "Jily?" she asked in a cold tone.

Fabian shrugged, "Yah, you know, because saying both of your names just takes up too much time and energy. I mean who wants to spend all their time saying James and Lily or Lily and James blah blah blah. We have things to do, you know?"

"Yah, so the two of you have become Jily. We first considered putting ladies first, obviously, but unanimously decided that calling you 'Lames' just didn't have the same ring to it, you know?" Gideon smiled innocently at Lily. She narrowed her eyes at the Prewett twins.

"Well, alright, I suppose as long as I get to call the two of you Fibeon. I think it fits as that is what you two do, mostly; fib." She smiled at the two other red heads and batted her eyes. The brothers looked mock offended with hands over their hearts and mouths open wide.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. **

Sirius snorted. "You would have felt right at home there, huh Snivellus?"

Snape raised an eyebrow and bared his teeth at the mutt. He was saved from having to answer by Lily, who reached around her husband to smack the other man on the head.

"Don't you start that rubish. Haven't we just been reading about bullies and how they are the biggest gits ever? Grow. Up."

Snaped smirked at the other man who was rubbing his sore head. He slouched slightly in comfy chair. Snape would never admit his comfort to Dumbledore though, or there would be no end to the infernal twinkling.

**Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trashcan - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep. **

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils. **

Snape shuddered slightly, remembering a different mammoth of a snake. He touched his neck again thinking about the pain and confusion of his last minutes before winding up in this room. If this was all really Potter's doing, he was rather grateful to be without a wound, pain, and to be spending some time with Lily.

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge. **

Remus snorted. "Of course it didn't move you crass, cruel, contemptible cockroach."

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away. **

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house. **

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's. **

"Creepy," shuddered Hestia.

**It winked. **

Lily blinked. "But, snakes don't have eyelids…how did it wink at my son without eyelids?" No one seemed to able to answer so Molly simply read on.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too. **

James put his head in his hands. "Oh Merlin, my son is hitting on snakes."

Caradoc smirked and shrugged at him, "Well, a boy gets lonely you know?"

"First, he is only ten here, second, shut it," snapped Lily.

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: **

**"I get that all the time."**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

James raised his head from his hands and looked at Dumbledore with horror filled eyes. "Is – Is my son – Is Harry a parclemouth?" Half the room nodded along with Dumbledore. James looked at them all and then at the sleeping baby boy curled up in the play pen drooling industriously all over his fist and blankets underneath his head. "How? He's not, he can't be evil?"

Snape snorted and rolled his eyes. Leave to Potter the elder to be a bigoted fool towards his own son upon discovering a rare ability.

"No James," Dumbledore's tone held no room for argument. "Harry is far from evil, this gift was left to him the night he was also given the scar on his forehead. As I once told your son, it is not our abilities that make us who we are. You should remember this as we continue to read." James seemed to struggle to accept the headmaster's words. Lily patted him on the shoulder in support but kept her thoughts to herself, not wanting to anger her husband with her own opinions on wizarding bigotry.

**The snake nodded vigorously. **

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked. **

"Well, you see Harry," said Fred in a serious tone.

"When a mummy and a daddy snake love each other very, very much-" continued George in the same tone.

"Boys!" intoned Molly.

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it. **

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil. **

**"Was it nice there?" **

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?" **

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. **

**"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

"Crap," muttered Edgar.

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could. **

"So, glacially slow, then?" asked Bill. Charlie laughed and high-fived his older brother.

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. **

"I wonder if young Dursley would like to spend a week as a maggot?" grumbled Mad-Eye as he stopped himself from reaching for his wand to deliver on his threats.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

Aberforth started chuckling loudly. Most people looked confusedly at him. He shrugged and said simply, "Vanishing Glass."

Others caught on and looked eagerly at the book as they too started chuckling.

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits. **

Sirius smiled fondly, "Brilliant."

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo." **

"Well, I'm glad it was polite, at least," said Lily smiling along with everyone else. "Though, isn't Brazil a Portuguese speaking country? Amigo is Spanish so really-" She looked at James who was patting her hand and shaking his head.

"It really doesn't matter that much, Lils. Geography lessons can wait, yah?" Lily narrowed her eyes at him but huffed in acquiescence.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock. **

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"Where all banished objects go; into everything, that is to say into nothingness," said McGonagall with a smirk remembering finding Harry and Luna Lovegood in the Ravenclaw common room the night of the Battle.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?" **

"Oh, sh-" moaned Sirius only to be interrupted by James clapping a hand over his friend's mouth. Sirius looked askance at James.

James shook his head and looked warily over his shoulder at Lily who was giving Sirius a cold look. "Padfoot, my friend, if you wish to remain free of curses, you will not cuss in front of my very beautiful (but scary when angry) wife and our nearly five month old over there."

Sirius looked between the sleeping baby and the fiery red head and nodded warily. Once James took his hand away, Sirius waved and smiled innocently at Lily who gave him a warning look before turning back to face Molly and the book.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. **

"Starting on Harry? What is that supposed to mean? Starting what on my son, Vernon?" asked Lily in an ever-louder volume.

**He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy. **

"WHAT?" screamed Lily. She was not alone as many others around the table stood in outrage.

Molly turned to her twin sons. "You weren't exaggerating? They really starved him?" At the twins solemn head nods Molly broke out in tears. "I thought you were just blowing it out of proportion to get out of punishment, I didn't know!" She sobbed on Arthur's shoulder while her husband patted her back trying to calm her down.

Others were yelling and did not hear that exchange, too busy railing against the Dursleys and their treatment of a baby/their friend/the savior of the wizarding world.

Dumbledore once again sent out a loud _BANG_ that quieted the adults. Unfortunately it also woke both babies. Lily and Alice both ran to collect their screaming sons. Once both boys were calm again and snuggled with their mothers sitting at the table Molly wiped her eyes and reached for the book.

Lily spoke up before she could begin reading, however. "Dumbledore, please hand over the note from the future." Everyone looked at her. She shifted little Harry to her left side and looked steadily at her former headmaster ignoring the stares of everyone else. Lily held her hand out. "Now, Sir, the parchment. I would like to ask a question to my son in the future." She wiggled her fingers impatiently towards the note sitting in front Dumbledore.

"Lily, my dear, I don't know if it is wise to-"

"Now," interrupted Lily in a clipped tone. "The parchment. Future Harry said if we had questions he would answer them. I have a question and I would like an answer. So, the parchment." She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. "Sir."

Dumbledore sighed and slid the note across the table where Lily put in front of her. She re-read what her son had written and then flipped the note over. James set a quill and ink in front of her and she smiled at her husband. Everyone else around the table watched in fascination as she wrote in quick angry movements on the blank side of the note.

_Harry,_

_This is your mother, Lily. I need to know, because this book has not come right and said it, but I really need to know what else the Dursleys did to you. We have seen appalling neglect and now they have refused you food. But it mentioned Dudley and his friends beating you and I need to know what it meant by Vernon "starting in on you." Did Vernon and Petunia hurt you physically as well?_

_Please be honest with me,_

_Your enraged mother, Lily_

Lily looked up to see everyone watching her. Marlene cleared her throat gently and asked, "What did you write, Sweetie?" Lily read what she had written aloud. James scowled and put an arm around her shoulder. Most others looked rather stony as well with dark looks being cast at the book. Just as Lily wondered how the future Harry would get the message, her writing disappeared from the note leaving he parchment blank. She sat looking at it the note half hoping that no response would be given.

After about a minute words began to form where her own had vanished. She took a deep breath and read aloud what her son had written back from the future.

_Mum (I really like writing that by the way),_

_You asked me to be honest with you. As you read further into the future, some instances will be highlighted that show Uncle Vernon attacking me physically. So to answer your question, yes. What is not said in the books is implied. It is obviously not something I like to think about but I told you I would answer your questions. Vernon likes to throttle me while Aunt Petunia doesn't like to get her hands dirty and so she usually throws things at me like frying pans or anything heavy and non-breakable really. I know this is upsetting. I am sorry for upsetting you with this._

_I'm OK, though. I have a tough skin, you know? I promise I'm OK._

_Love You,_

_Harry_

Lily was crying by the end of the note and hugged baby Harry to her as though reassuring herself that at least this version of her son was still safe and happy. Many others around the table were in a similar state. Hagrid gave a sob and buried his head in his hands. McGonagall had pulled her handkerchief out and was dabbing at her eyes. Dumbledore stared at the tabletop unable to bring himself to face the accusatory stares he knew would be directed at him.

James was shaking with anger as were Sirius and Remus. Remus growled and Sirius stammered, "Dursley, you are a…a, you're a-" he seemed to be so far gone that insults eluded him at the moment.

"He is a detestable, disgusting, disagreeable, dreadful, deplorable, dismal, damnable degenerate." All eyes turned to Snape, who sat in his garish (yet secretly comfortable) chair with his arms crossed. He raised an eyebrow at the table. "I thought you needed help with your intellect game of insults and decided to add my own opinions of Vernon Dursley in the pot."

Sirius looked blankly at Snape for a second before nodding and turning away before the infuriating man saw the ghost of a smile gracing his lips.

Dumbledore cleared his throat in the ensuing silence. "Perhaps it would be best if we finished this chapter and then ate super as the hour is getting rather late. Molly if you would, please."

The Weasley matriarch nodded wearily and picked up the book once more.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food. **

"Having to steal food from his own house, honestly," huffed Emmeline as others around the table made angry noises and mutterings as well.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

Dumbledore raised both eyebrows as many others in the room looked shocked. "He remembered the killing curse?" asked Dedalus in a quiet awed voice so different from his usual excited speak.

Dumbledore nodded. "Apparently so."

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. **

Lily and James looked sadly at their son. Both let tears fall down their cheeks. Lily hugged Harry to her even more as James laid a hand on his son's small back. It helped just to feel his warmth and his little heart beating as he breathed soft baby breaths onto Lily's shoulder.

**His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. **

"Bitch."

Sirius looked shocked at Lily's softly spoken swear word but decided now was not the time to tease her about previous arguments.

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the **

**Dursleys were his only family. **

Sirius looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry, Harry," he murmured quietly. Remus heard this and pulled his friend into a one armed hug.

"It wasn't your fault, Padfoot. You know Dumbledore had plans for him to go there regardless of either of us."

"I know," Sirius sighed, "but, I still feel like I let him down so badly, Moony. Our little baby Prongs was all alone and hurting and no one was there for him."

James looked at the two of them questioningly. "Where were you two anyway?"

Remus pointed to himself, "Werewolf."

"Azkaban," added Sirius pointing himself.

"Azkaban, what?" asked a shocked James but was silenced by Dumbledore clearing his throat again.

"That, I believe will be covered in the third book. Answers will be given, I promise, but please let us continue. I hear a toad in the hole just calling to me and cannot hold out much longer I'm afraid," laughed the headmaster. No one joined him in his forced levity. He just sighed and motioned for Molly to continue.

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. **

"He remembers!" Dedalus jumped and down in chair excitedly.

**After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. **

Kingsley shrunk in his seat slightly and purposefully did not look at anyone sitting at the table.

**The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang. **

Molly closed the book and threw it at the table. "That's the end of the chapter, thank Merlin." Amid the occasional sniffles and guttural growls still traveling around the table silence reigned. Everyone seemed stuck in the pathetic life of the Boy-Who-Lived before he managed to get to Hogwarts.

"How is it that he has yet to turn dark with a childhood like that?" asked Mad-Eye with both eyes pinned to the headmaster.

It was not Dumbledore that answered, however. "Harry has always cared about everyone else more than himself," said Fred in the most serious tone anyone had ever heard from him.

George nodded and continued, "He is a great friend and we personally consider him a second little brother."

"Where as some might blame the world-"

"Our Harry tries to make it so no one has to live like he did."

"It's his 'people saving thing.'" Finished both twins grinning at each other.

At this, the table filled with a veritable feast provided by the Hogwarts house elves. People seemed to come out of their stupors and grabbed food to fill themselves after the emotional ups and downs of reading about the future.

Arthur got in an animated discussion with Lily and surprisingly (to almost everyone in attendance) Snape about the Muggle items he had written down. James and his two friends caught up with their lives and planned pranks on the Dursleys even though they knew they would never be allowed to act on those pranks.

The Weasley twins pulled their chairs up to their uncles and had a serious conversation about joke shops and terrorizing Molly Weasley.

After everyone had their fill of food and conversation (and the babies were fed, burped, changed and placed back in the playpen for the night) they all returned to their seats to read again.

Caradoc picked up the book. "Does anyone mind?" He waggled the book in the air and as there were no objections, he opened to the third chapter. **"Chaprter Three: The Letters From No One."**


	4. Chapter 4: The Letters From No One

AN: Well! A big THANK YOU to everyone that has added this story to their alerts and favorites, added me to their alerts and favorites and a huge OMG you rock to everyone that has reviewed. OMG you rock! Just a note though, if you want me to respond to your review you have to enable private messaging otherwise I sit there clicking the reply link over and over wondering what I've done wrong.

Let's see…if you need a refresher on the disclaimer, you know, that whole thing where I am poor and own nothing so please don't make me beg. Yah, that thing, you may find it back in chapter one and I will not be writing it again. But I may remind to go looking for it again as it is entertaining.

Being that Harry is still at the Dursleys in this chapter, he will not be having a fun time so the child abuse warning is in play still. I might as well just leave it for the series because really? A troll? Having to accidentally kill a guy at the age of 11? Dragons? Yah…..

That being said-

* * *

><p>Chapter 3: The Letters From No One<p>

_Previously in our saga-_

_At this, the table filled with a veritable feast provided by the Hogwarts house elves. People seemed to come out of their stupors and grabbed food to fill themselves after the emotional ups and downs of reading about the future._

_Arthur got in an animated discussion with Lily and surprisingly (to almost everyone in attendance) Snape about the Muggle items he had written down. James and his two friends caught up with their lives and planned pranks on the Dursleys even though they knew they would never be allowed to act on those pranks._

_The Weasley twins pulled their chairs up to their uncles and had a serious conversation about joke shops and terrorizing Molly Weasley._

_After everyone had their fill of food and conversation (and the babies were fed, burped, changed and placed back in the playpen for the night) they all returned to their seats to read again._

_Caradoc picked up the book. "Does anyone mind?" He waggled the book in the air and as there were no objections, he opened to the third chapter. __**"Chaprter Three: The Letters From No One."**_

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches. **

"You okay there, Figgy?" asked Mundungus cheekily. Arabella simply raised an eyebrow at the thief and pantomimed hitting him with her purse. He shrugged but turned away all the same.

"Wait, when do the Muggle schools let out for summer?" asked Bill, confused as to the amount of time Harry had been punished.

Lily frowned a bit, "Well, Dudley's birthday is mid-June and from what I remember Grammar school lets out at the end of June. But the time frame seems to suggest Harry was in," Lily fisted her hands and took a deep breath, "in the _cupboard_." The last word spat out as a curse.

"So – about three weeks? Is that what we are guessing? He was in there mid-June to, what, the first or second week of July?" asked Charlie, taking up his brother's line of questioning and looking rather ill.

Mad-Eye nodded grimly. "Sounds, bout right, Weasley."

The room was silent as everyone contemplated the ramifications of locking a ten-year-old boy away in a cupboard with very little nourishment for perhaps a month. Many people shuddered in horror at the thought and many others, especially those who knew the future Harry, wondered how it was that this boy in the book was the same smiling, good-natured (sometimes scary when angered) boy they knew so well.

Lily felt angry, frustrated tears tracking down her face. She just couldn't keep her emotions from spilling out it seemed. She didn't even care to brush them away. Maybe it would help somehow to have those tears show. Maybe the headmaster would see and would feel even the slightest twinge of guilt about placing her baby boy with her heartless sister. _Good_, she thought_, he deserves to know what he does effects us all and over lifetimes as well, not just in the moment of action._

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. **

Aberforth and a few others snorted at this. It was a perfect observation of basic human behavior that seemed to transcend past the magical world, unfortunately.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting. **

"Execrable elephant," muttered Sirius through clenched teeth as tried very hard not to growl and or yell. He didn't want to face his friend or for that matter his wife if the babies were woken up by yelling after having just been put down for the night.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny. **

"Why wouldn't Petunia have told-" started Benjy before shaking his head resignedly. "No, never mind. Please continue Cardy."

Caradoc squinted at the other man in annoyance before dragging his eyes back to the book, but not before muttering "Cardy" under his breath irritatedly.

Benjy just beamed a brilliant smile at his friend and batted his eyelashes innocently.

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?" **

Alice wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Ugh, what a thoroughly loathsome child."

Kingsley nodded, "Yes, I believe we have established that." Alice stuck her tongue out at the Auror.

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said. **

Lily let out a sudden snort, which devolved into a giggle. She was not alone in her levity. The tension in the room from the first few chapters lessened a bit tittering and amused chuckled traveled around the room.

James put a hand proudly on Lily's shoulder. "See? Told you he had Lily's personality. The come back was all over you, Lils."

She nodded her head and looked over at the playpen with fondness and touch of exasperation.

Snape cleared his throat before adding his thoughts quietly to the conversation. "I would tend to agree. The cheeky retorts are very much you, Lily." He looked up hesitantly (he would never admit fearfully) only to see his redheaded childhood friend smiling softly at him. Potter the elder looked torn between happy that someone was agreeing with him and appalled that that someone was Snape. He seemed to settle his face somewhere in between. It was not a good look on and Snape couldn't help the small smirk that edged its way onto his lips.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats,**

Eyes turned to Arabella who slouched in her chair and refused to look at anyone.

**and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years. **

"Mmmm," groaned George in mock longing. "That's just sounds like it could the spot, don't it?" His twin laughed before hastily shutting up after a stern look from Molly.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. **

Emmeline made a gagging noise and looked distinctly ill at the mental image of this description. Hestia patted her sympathetically on the shoulder of her always fashionable and never clashing robes.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life. **

Hagrid let out a loud disbelieving huff at this.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. **

Fabian and Gideon burst out in a fit of sniggering and pompously thumbed invisible suspender straps while declaring that, "this is the proudest moment of my life." "No, no, Dear Brother, _this _is the proudest moment of my life." "No, Brother –Mine, _THIS _is the proudest my life." "No, it's this moment, right now." "No, THIS."

As it didn't look like the Prewett twins wouldn't finish anytime soon Caradoc just decided to read over them.

**Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh. **

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. **

"Well, excess flatulence is to be expected from individuals who spend their time eating improper diets that bloat their bodies and tax their digestive tracts a great deal," stated McGonagall sternly.

The room's occupants stared at her for a full thirty seconds before peels of laughter rang out. The Weasley brothers all shared an awed look while wiping tears of mirth from their eyes. Minerva McGonagall – _Minerva McGonagall_ – had quite possibly just told a fart joke.

**It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water. **

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question. **

Remus shook his head, "Oh yes, Merlin forbid."

**"Your new school uniform," she said. **

**Harry looked in the bowl again. **

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet." **

The Order broke into laughter again at this. Even Snape's lips twitched in an upward movement. He stopped himself at rolling his eyes at the rather Lily-esque quip.

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." **

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably. **

"Lovely," muttered Dorcas, shaking her head.

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table. **

Snape did roll his eyes at this. "Ignoramus."

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat. **

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper. **

A few eyebrows were raised at this perhaps in futile hope that the lazy sod would be forced to do something.

**"Make Harry get it." **

**"Get the mail, Harry."**

Those few hopeful eyebrows fell into frowns.

**"Make Dudley get it." **

**"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley." **

"Och!" McGonagall didn't have words to show how displeased she was with the Dursley's "care" of her pupil.

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and - a letter for Harry. **

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. **

Arthur pulled the forgotten list of Muggle terms towards him and excitedly scribbled "eclastick bands."

**No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives – **

Kingsley frowned at that. "What happened to the volumes and volumes of Harry Potter fan mail?"

Dumbledore sighed, his answer would not be popular. Again. "I believe the ministry forwarded all mail to vault at Gringotts were it could be sorted and dealt with appropriately."

Remus leaned forward in his chair. He looked slightly flushed and clenched his fists on the tabletop as he looked at the leader of the Order of the Phoenix. "All of the Mail?" he asked and at Dumbledore's nod he hissed out a low angry growl that had many leaning slightly away from the werewolf. "Even the mail from those of us, like me, who had legitimate reasons to be contacting him? You diverted ALL of the mail away from a scared, abused little boy who came to think that no one could possibly want to talk to him?" Remus had started the questions in quiet voice but ended on his feet practically yelling at the old man across the table from him.

Lily and James looked furious as well, but kept their seats and simply folded their arms in annoyance and waited for Dumbledore to answer. Alice made sure to peek in on the two babies but both had miraculously slept through the yelling so far. They had curled up together in the middle of the playpen with Harry still sucking on one fist while the other was clutching at Neville's yellow footies.

Many other people were now looking at Dumbledore with looks that ranged from outraged to simply curious as to why ALL of the mail had been diverted.

Dumbledore shrugged and said, "Well, with the amount of post that young Harry had inspired it was simpler to allow the goblins to do their jobs excellently and expediently."

Remus just looked at him incredulously.

"But, if the goblins were already sorting the mail, could they not have had a list of friends of the family or something and sort accordingly?" asked Marlene reasonably.

People swiveled in their seats and looked again at Dumbledore. He sighed again and seemed to avoid eye contact with anyone as he answered. "That was not the deal that the Ministry made with Gringotts I'm afraid." The Order members sitting around the circular table in the Great Hall all felt the flimsiness of this excuse acutely.

Sirius pulled Remus back into his seat as Tonks hugged him in support.

Caradoc breathed loudly into the silence and decided that the best course of action would be to continue reading.

**he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake: **

**Mr. H. Potter **

**The Cupboard under the Stairs **

**4 Privet Drive **

**Little Whinging **

**Surrey **

"What!" Eyes turned to McGonagall who looked upset. She turned to Lily and James putting her hands over her heart as though committing an oath. "I swear to you both that I had no idea. As I am sure this is Harry's Hogwarts letter, as it seems no other letters were allowed to reach him," she sent a scathing look at the old man sitting next to her, "I swear to you both that I had no idea it was addressed as thus. The quill writes out the addresses on its own and I-" Here McGonagall had to stop as she sniffed loudly and brought out her hanky again to dab her eyes. She looked down at her lap as she finished quietly, "I swear to you both that I had no idea. I just stuff the envelopes and send them on their way."

Dumbledore appeared to want to comfort his former colleague but she inched away from him. McGonagall did not notice anyone moving until she felt arms come around her from her other side. She looked up at Lily Potter who was hugging her. "It's alright, Minerva. I know you would have done something if you knew. We don't blame _you._ It's alright." Lily squeezed her shoulders again and smiled at her before straightening up to return to her seat. As she passed him, she gave Snape's shoulder a tentative little pat as well and received a relieved hesitant sparkle of onyx eyes in return.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. **

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.**

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke. **

Edgar curled his lip in distaste. He really hoped that these Muggles wouldn't be mentioned much after this chapter.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope. **

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard. **

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk. -." **

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!" **

"Oh, this will not end well, I fear," groaned Elphias shaking his head against what he knew was coming.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon. **

**"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back. **

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, **

"Me," huffed Remus quietly with an angry look at Dumbledore.

"Ginny," murmured Charlie loud enough for his brothers to hear. The sniggered quietly at the memory of their baby sister sending a love letter to Harry Potter every month for five years after she learned to write.

**shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge. **

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

Lily rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Always were one for drama weren't you, Tuney?"

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!" **

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick. **

"Serves him right," muttered someone but many nodded in agreement.

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly. **

"_**I **_**want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine." **

Mad-Eye raised an eyebrow. "Does young Potter have a temper?"

Mostly everyone shrugged or shook their heads to the negative. The Weasley twins grinned, however and sniggered. "You could say that," nodded George.

"But that might be a bit of an understatement," finished Fred smiling wickedly at his twin.

Lily sighed and put her head in her hands while James looked highly amused. He leaned back in his chair and propped a foot on the edge of the table. "So," he sniffed reflectively, "it's not just the cheekiness then, eh?"

A muffled "shut up" was heard from behind Lily's hands.

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move. **

"**I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted. **

Sirius grinned and winked at James who was still leaning back with an amused expression at the total expense of his wife.

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley. **

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. **

The amused look immediately vanished from James face as he dropped his foot and leaned forward in his chair. "Don't you dare touch my son you-" he clenched his jaw for a second before glancing at his two friends. "You foul fiend." Remus and Sirius shared a look and then turned to their friend and waggled their hands in the air as if to say "meh."

**Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor. **

"Better position anyway," shrugged Mad-Eye.

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address - how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?" **

"Does the address reflect where the person calls home? Or what?" asked Tonks confusedly.

"Not necessarily," stated McGonagall turning towards her former student. "The addresses simply reflect where the receiver is most likely to be found in order to multiply the chance of a successful delivery and response to the letter."

Tonks blinked at her for a few seconds before slowly nodding and turning back to Caradoc. Others around the table tried not to chuckle as a quiet "Huh?" was heard from somewhere in Tonk's vicinity.

**"Watching - spying - might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly. **

Dedalus chuckled. "Sounds like you, Mad-Eye."

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Both sets of twins looked at each other then laughed as the rest of the Order members removed their hands from their ears and glared at all four redheads.

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want -" **

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen. **

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer... Yes, that's best... we won't do anything... **

Aberforth scoffed and shook his shaggy head. "Well if that isn't one of the stupidest plans I heard. Just let the Boy-Who-Lived fade into Muggle anonymity. Right."

**"But -" **

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?" **

Snape hissed in displeasure as visions of his own childhood with his father flashed through his mind and melded with remembered glimpses of this fat Muggle from Potter's mind during their failed occlumency lessons. He surprised himself by feeling quite angry and upset at Vernon and Petunia Dursley for the way in which they their nephew. He surprised himself even more by empathizing with the younger Potter in a way he never thought he would. It felt as though he had been wearing blinders for nearly seven years and they had suddenly been lifted. He quickly reviewed all of his interactions with the irritating whelp and came to a conclusion that was not one Snape liked. At. All.

If young Potter was anything like he himself had been (and didn't _that_ thought just turn the world upside down all on its own) then the brat would hide all of his insecurities and trauma behind a mask of independence and brazen attitude. Snape closed his eyes as he realized that is quite probably what Harry Potter had done. While he still may have had a touch of his father's arrogance, the attitude and casual brush off of safety rules was not due to that but to a deeper set of issues stemming from the Dursleys. He opened his eyes to the continued silence of the room, realizing that while he was having a quiet but no less profound epiphany the Great Hall had remained silent instead of devolving into chaos, as he would have thought would have happened.

The reason for the silence, however presented itself in the form of the man sitting next to Snape. Albus Dumbledore had not moved a muscle, but the angry, almost electric pulse of magic sizzled around him. His blue eyes were cold as he looked at the book in Caradoc's hands. Dumbledore, caught in his own memories only looked up when a hand landed on his shoulder. His brother looked down at him with an understanding, although not forgiving glimmer in his own blue eyes. Dumbledore nodded as he got himself back together and chanced at look at his old friend. Elphias gave him a small smile and nodded as well. She shook himself slightly and the heavy magic seemed to dissipate.

Everyone else breathed easier as the former headmaster visibly calmed. At seeing the slightly frightened and questioning looks coming from most of those around the table Dumbledore sighed and wearily rubbed his face. "It is never wise to attempt to 'stamp out' anyone's magic, as it were. The psychological, physical, magical and emotional repercussions are varied and quite dangerous. I am overjoyed that young Harry rose above these conditions to become the wonderful person some of us were lucky enough to know."

Snape noted the narrowed eyes and crossed arms that Aberforth displayed at these words. He raised an eyebrow in interest but refrained from commenting as the others around the table were muttering about mistreatment and child abuse again. He thought he caught mention of the Wizarding Child Welfare Offices again from Molly and Alice before Caradoc read aloud again, cutting off further mutterings.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard. **

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?" **

Lily giggled incongruously. James looked at in astonishment. She shook her head and giggled again before saying, "Just sounds like Winnie the Pooh trying to get into Rabbit's. I just see his fat bum and legs poking out the other side of the door." Snape smirked, as did a few others in the room who knew what Winnie the Pooh was. James just nodded slowly and motioned for Caradoc to continue before his wife finally lost all her Gobstones.

**"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

**"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it." **

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful. **

**"Er - yes, Harry - about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you're really getting a bit big for it... we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom." **

The explosion of sound, this time, came from Frank who, it seemed, could not hold it in. "Second Bedroom! That portly little tub of lard had two bedrooms while Jily's child had the cupboard! Atrocious." Lily and James scowled at Frank, though whether the scowl was in agreement with his statement or his use of the word "Jily" was anyone's guess.

**"Why?" said Harry. **

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now." **

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: **

"Four!" shouted Hestia, disgusted. Lily sighed sadly, again letting the tears fall down her face. She was not ashamed of the feelings of anger, frustration, sadness (and even a bit of pride in her future son for overcoming the hate his relatives heaped on him) that washed through her and out of her eyes. She quickly checked the babies to make sure they were still sleeping soundly. Lily cast a strong one-way sound buffer so they would be sure to stay sleeping with all the yelling that continued around the Hall. Alice looked furious as well but gave a grateful smile to Lily as she noticed the charm appear. Mad-Eye stamped his wooden leg down with a resounding BANG. Everyone grew silent and looked him, astonished. "At this rate we will finish these accursed books in time for those two," he pointed at the charmed playpen, "to go on their first dates. These things have already happened for most of us, so those of us from the future can do nothing about them. You past lot, just remember and change things for the better. But shut up about it here and now." Everyone blinked at him before a few nodded reluctantly.

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; **

Arthur scribbled "Tank – why would a animal habitat be driven?" on his sheet of parchment.

**in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, **

"Rye-full" was hastily added to the list.

**which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched. **

"Of course." McGonagall rolled her eyes at the youth she had never met.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, I don't want him in there... I need that room... make him get out..." **

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it. **

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. **

"I'm sorry," said Charlie in shock, "but did the book just imply that he basically _killed _an innocent creature because he wanted his _second_ bedroom back, a bedroom full of broken toys and unread books?" He looked around at his family and the others in the room. "Isn't that a sign of serious psychopathic tendencies to kill helpless creatures for no good reason when you're a child?"

No one said anything but several looked thoughtful. Dumbledore closed his eyes and shuddered a little at the memory of a long ago day when the matron of an orphanage informed him of Tom Riddle's involvement in the death of a rabbit. The signs had been there, he just didn't see them soon enough. _No, be honest with yourself, Albus. You saw them, you just did not act on what you saw_. Dumbledore sighed and added another failure to his own private list in his head.

Mad-Eye squinted at the second oldest Weasley boy. "Are you saying that Dudley Dursley is psychopathic?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know him, never met him. But, I mean, come one. It says that he enjoyed hurting people and not just Harry. And here he is hurting and killing helpless animals without a thought and showing no remorse for his actions. He just bears keeping an eye is all I'm saying." Several people nodded in agreement including Mad-Eye, who mumbled "Constant Vigilance" approvingly.

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly. **

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, **

Sirius snorted in disbelief.

**made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive -'" **

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand. **

"Damn," muttered Molly. Her children looked at her in surprise. "What?" she huffed. "Am I not allowed to express my displeasure at that…that-"

"Gelatinous, ghastly, godawful, grungy, grotesque, ghoulish, glutton of a gargoyle," supplied Snape with a quirk of an eyebrow and a ghost of a grin aimed at Remus and Sirius who both looked put out that Snape had once again out vocab-ed them in their verbal insult game.

Molly blinked at him for a second before nodding a shaky thank you. "Yes that. I am allowed to show how I feel about that man."

Charlie frowned before muttering, "Don't knock Ghouls," loud enough for his brothers to hear. They snickered quietly as Caradoc began reading again.

**"Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley - go - just go." **

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan. **

Remus and Sirius burst out laughing. "If his plans go anything like James' did when we were young, it is bound to be a dismal failure," explained Remus to a confused Order.

"Hey!" frowned James, "I wasn't that bad." Lily patted him sympathetically on the arm as she kept her face looking at the tabletop in an effort not to laugh at her husband.

"Yes, you were, Prongs," laughed Sirius who stopped abruptly as all of his hair fell out and landed around his chair and on his lap. He looked up at James with wide eyes in time to see his friend return his wand to his pocket. Sirius turned to Remus for help before pointing at his friend and laughing instead. Remus, it turns out was rendered just as bald as Sirius. Both men laughed at each other before leaning over and rubbing each other's hairless heads with their hands. "For good luck!" cried Sirius.

Caradoc rolled his eyes at the trio. He decided to read before the two q-balls took their revenge on their friend.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights. **

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door - **

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat - something alive! **

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. **

"Ha!" Edgar couldn't hold back the laugh at that image. Many others shared in the mirth of Harry trodding on Vernon Dursley's face.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap.**

**Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink. **

"What did you think was going on there that three more letters needed to be sent?" asked Lily, confused as to how her son's hardship had gone so unnoticed.

McGonagall sighed. "It happens sometimes with letters sent to Muggle-born families that the letters are ignored or misplaced because of fear or ignorance. It is not unheard of to have to send multiple letters in order to reach these families. I thought that was what was happening. Again, I could have – _should_ have looked into it more, but, I was so busy with everything else I…" the witch sighed and took a shaky breath before looking up at her former students. "There is no excuse to not looking into the letters. I am so sorry to the both of you and I – there is no excuse." McGonagall shook her head again and dabbed watery eyes with her hanky having not put it away from her previous guilty revelations.

"It's alright, Minerva. We understand and we have been through this before. We know you did what you could. Harry was not your ward after all and you had no reason to suspect anything wrong with my sister and her family." Lily smiled sadly at her former Head of House. She turned to the man sitting next to McGonagall. "You, on the other hand," her voice going cold and accusatory, "had every reason to look in on my son, _especially_ when multiple letters were needed to reach him. He was your responsibility as you were apparently the one to decide where he went the night we – that night."

Dumbledore merely looked down at his hands and nodded a sad agreement to Lily's remonstrations. This seemed to break James from his silent contemplation of the situation. "Why were you the one to decide where our son went any way? What happened to our will? I know that Lily and I would never leave Harry to her sister to be raised. If Sirius wasn't available we had a few other people lined up to take care of Harry. None of which were you. What really happened that night?"

Many curious and furious eyes swiveled back to Dumbledore. They had not known about a will or any other candidates for Harry's caretakers. Dumbledore sighed once again and seemed to sink lower in his chair. "The Dursleys were the best place for Harry to go. He was protected there from any wizard or witch wanting to harm him." He closed his eyes again the accusatory stares of those at the table. "It was the best place for him," Dumbledore finished somewhat lamely.

Silence rang in the Hall for a second before Lily nodded jerkily. "We are not finished with this, _sir_. But in the interests of actually sleeping tonight that discussion can wait at least until tomorrow." Caradoc took the hint and picked up the book once more.

"**I want -" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. Uncle Vernon didnt go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot. **

"Idiot." Emmeline rolled her eyes at the antics of the fat Muggle.

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up." **

"Not hardly," scoffed McGonagall.

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon." **

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him. **

"An thank Merlin for tha," said Hagrid.

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. **

Marlene frowned. "Really, Minerva, that is an excessive amount to not notice something is wrong."

McGonagall sat up primly at this and carefully did not look at the man sitting next to her. "I had informed the proper channels that there was a problem with Harry receiving his letter. However, I could do nothing but send more letters. I am not allowed to directly interfere in these cases unless asked to do so." It was clear to everyone that the responsibility to look into problems of this nature or at least delegate someone else to look into the problem fell to the headmaster. And, as he had refused to do anything about it, more letters were sent to number four, Privet Drive.

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises. **

Many people snorted and some raised their eyebrows at the apparent insanity creeping upon the Muggle.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor. **

Arthur added this new contraption to his ever-growing list while shaking his head at the actions of these Muggles. All this effort expended towards avoiding Harry reading his letter when they could save themselves by simply allowing the boy to view his post and replying.

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement. **

"Loads of people," muttered Remus moodily still upset by his own letters to Prongs' son having never been delivered.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy. **

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today -" **

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. **

Eyebrows raised at the amount of letters. McGonagall shrugged unrepentantly. "I was rather irritated by the lack of response at this point and wanted to make sure that they understood the importance of the letters."

**The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one. **

Fred and George grinned at each other before quietly and proudly murmuring, "Seeker."

**"Out! OUT!" **

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. **

Angry noises erupted in the Hall again but Caradoc, sensing another long outburst of "We hate the Dursleys and here's why," began reading again to avoid the delay.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor. **

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!" **

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag. **

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. "Shake'em off... shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this. **

"He's worse than you, Mad-Eye," exclaimed Tonks, impressed with the Muggle's paranoia.

"Shut up," grumped Mad-Eye.

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer. **

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering... **

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table. **

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk." **

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address: **

**Mr. H. Potter **

**Room 17 **

**Railview Hotel **

**Cokeworth**

McGonagall smirked at the dumbfounded looks she was receiving for the sheer number of letters sent to Harry Potter in order for him to open at least one.

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared. **

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room. **

"**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage. **

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. **

"Yup!" said Gideon popping the final p in the word like bubble gum.

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared. **

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled. **

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television. " **

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television - then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun - last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

Snape sighed in blossoming regret. So, not spoilt in the slightest then. He looked across the table towards an irate Lily and thought how angry she was going to be when his past self appeared in this story. Because she would be so furious with the way he acted towards young Harry Potter. Looking at it now with his new epiphany cleared eyes, Snape saw that his actions and attitude were based on spite and revenge against a deceased James Potter. Yes, Lily was definitely going to be quite angry with Snape. And he really couldn't blame her as he found himself quite discomfited with his younger self as well.

Remus scowled, "Why those horrible, heinous, horrid, horrendous, hateful, horrific hooligans!"

Sirius laughed and gave him a high-five before turning to Snape and childishly sticking his tongue out and giving a loud, "Ha!"

Snape raised an eyebrow and sneered at the mutt. "I believe you used at least three words that were all derivatives of each other. How very droll." Remus turned slightly pink at this and Snape smirked. At least he could feel secure in his animosity with these intellectually challenged cretins even as he lost his footing with Harry Potter.

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought. **

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!" **

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there. **

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!" **

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them. **

A loud slap was heard and everyone turned to Benjy who was slowly wiping his hand down his face; evidence of his irritated face-palm.

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!" **

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house. **

"His imbecilic lunacy is going to get them all killed," moaned Alice, not liking the situation her friends' son was in.

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms. **

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up. **

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully. **

"Keep laughing you icky, immoral invertebrate." Arthur shrugged as everyone looked at him. "Well, I tried. Not as good as some, but still, I think I got feelings known."

Fred shook his head fondly at his father. "Pathetic, that was."

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all. **

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket. **

"Argh!" cried Lily who threw hands up in frustration with her sister and their family. She put her head on the table and just let the tears fall. She couldn't even express her anger in words any longer. It was just too much. She felt James rub her back in comforting circles and silently thanked him for his support.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now. **

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow. **

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea? **

Those that did not know what was happening leaned forward, eager to hear what was going on. These sounds did not seem like they would bode well for the little boy, after all.

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty ... ten... nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him - three... two... one... **

Everyone leaned in ever closer. Caradoc grinned mischievously before reading the next line.

**BOOM. **

Caradoc yelled with an accompanying loud slap on the table. His grin turned into a smirk as nearly everyone shouted in surprise and recoiled back into their chairs.

"Cardy!" shouted Hestia with a hand to her bosom. He simply laughed and ignored the glares as he read the final part of the chapter aloud.

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in. **

"That's the end of the chapter, folks," said Caradoc putting the book on the table in front of him. Dumbledore cast a _tempus_ to see that it just half past nine.

"We might have time for another chapter before bed if we are all willing to sit up for a little bit more." At the interested looks from everyone around the table, and the fact that no one moved to get up, he nodded. "Alright, in an effort to finish another chapter tonight, then, I suggest all grievances be aired tomorrow or perhaps when we have finished this book? Or even, dare I suggest it, at the conclusion of all the books?" He looked hopefully at the stony faces of Lily Potter and many others and sighed. "Tomorrow it is then. Now, who would like to conclude our reading for the night?"

James stood up and walked around the table to retrieve the book. "I will, if no one minds. Maybe this next chapter will finally get my son away from the clutches of my 'in-laws'." He emphasized the final words with air quotes before plopping down in his chair and opening the book. He cleared his throat importantly before smiling widely and reading, "**Chapter Four: The Keeper of the Keys."**

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><p>AN: Phew! Another one down. I wanted to let you all know that I am going on vacation tomorrow and may not get updates up as quickly as I would like, what with all the fun I'll be having and gallivanting I will be doing.<p>

P.S. What do you all think of Pottermore? I think it is cool that JK is getting into fanfiction, but I don't know. Right now I am sort of feeling meh about it. (Although that didn't stop me from putting me email down for Pottermore updates and whatnot)


	5. Chapter 5: The Keeper of the Keys

AN: Well, hello all! I have returned from my romping around various parts of the US and am ready to get back to grind. Not that fanfic is a grind. It is my escape from the grind. So I guess I should really say I have to get back to my escapism….hmmm.

Thank you to everyone who left me reviews and favorited/alerted the story and me once again. You all are the most amazing readers ever! I apologize to those folks who never got a response from me if they gave me a review while I was on vacation. I read the reviews and appreciate everything you all have to say. I will try to respond to everyone's reviews this chapter to make up for it, promise!

As for bringing in 18 year-old Harry and possibly Hermione, Ron and Ginny…hmmm. I don't think so at this time, but it might be fun to bring them in briefly later on. The point was to have only Order members read (with the exception of the two babies, of course) but I will keep in mind that some of you have voiced the requests for the future trio and red-headed spit fire to make an appearance.

I hope all you Americans had a wonderful 4th of July and everyone else…I hope you are having great summers/winters depending on your hemisphere.

Okie dokie – Hit it!

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><p>Chapter 5: The Keeper of the Keys<p>

_Previously in our saga-_

"_That's the end of the chapter, folks," said Caradoc putting the book on the table in front of him. Dumbledore cast a tempus to see that it just half past nine. _

"_We might have time for another chapter before bed if we are all willing to sit up for a little bit more." At the interested looks from everyone around the table, and the fact that no one moved to get up, he nodded. "Alright, in an effort to finish another chapter tonight, then, I suggest all grievances be aired tomorrow or perhaps when we have finished this book? Or even, dare I suggest it, at the conclusion of all the books?" He looked hopefully at the stony faces of Lily Potter and many others and sighed. "Tomorrow it is then. Now, who would like to conclude our reading for the night?"_

_James stood up and walked around the table to retrieve the book. "I will, if no one minds. Maybe this next chapter will finally get my son away from the clutches of my 'in-laws'." He emphasized the final words with air quotes before plopping down in his chair and opening the book. He cleared his throat importantly before smiling widely and reading, "__**Chapter Four: The Keeper of the Keys."**_

Hagrid broke out in a cough that sounded suspiciously as though he were trying to cover up giggling. Everyone turned to look at him. "Sorry." He shrugged and still looked as though he were fighting a smile as a bemused James returned to the book.

**BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. "Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly. **

"Is there any other way for him to say anything?" muttered George, which caused his twin to stifle a chuckle of his own.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands - now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

"Is the man utterly insane?" Snape had risen from his chair in his anger at the idiotic Muggle. Almost everyone around the table looked confused at Snape's ire and the fact that he had chosen to shout about it.

"Um," Charlie cocked his head to the side, eyeing Snape quizzically, "yes?"

Shaking his head and retaking his seat, Snape said, "No, you misunderstand the situation. Vernon Dursley brought the equivalent of a death curse producer to that shack to be used as weapon against whomever with his wife and two relatively young children around. He could have easily done serious damage or even killed someone with the rifle."

This pronouncement sobered those in the room who had previously not known what a rifle was. Lily simply leaned into James while glaring at the book. She had given up voicing her ever-plunging opinion of Vernon Dursley and Petunia. It did not good to get loud every time they did something despicable; simply for the fact that they seemed to do something horrible every other sentence. She sighed and closed her eyes, picturing Harry's birthday and all of the happiness of that day in July. With the joy of seeing those green eyes open for the first time in mind's eye, she attempted to calm herself enough not to go find her sister and her husband and show them what a real witch she could be.

"Why, that jumped up, jerky jack-arse!" shouted Sirius. Remus just raised an eyebrow while the twins shook their heads and gave thumbs down gestures. Snape was momentarily distracted from his anger at Dursley enough to smirk at a sheepish looking Sirius.

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you - I'm armed!"**

"Fool," grumbling Mad-Eye.

**There was a pause. Then –**

**SMASH! **

"Ow!"

"Well don't yell in my ear then!" shouted Lily proving to James that having someone scream in one's ears does in fact hurt a great deal. Unsure of whether to rub his ringing ears or his stinging head where his wife had smacked him, James slouched slightly away from his wife as he decided on the better part of valor and continued to read.

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

"Hmm, rather dramatic of you, Hagrid," said Dumbledore with eyes twinkling like mad at his former Care of Magical Creatures professor.

Hagrid's cheeks turned pink under his mustache and beard. He sunk as much as he could in his oversized chair and mumbled, "Didn' me ter do tha'."

"You were the one to finally give Harry his letter?" asked Lily. At Hagrid's bashful nod, she beamed at the half-giant. "Thank you," she said gratefully causing Hagrid's red tinge to increase.

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. **

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all. **

**"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..." **

"How did you get there in that storm, Hagrid?" asked Marlene. Several other people nodded along, eager to hear how this was achieved.

Hagrid looked particularly proud and puffed out his chest a bit. "I managed to rig one o' the Thestrals with a large enough sulky to carry me behind him as he flew. Course, it got tossed up a bit in the storm and ended up in the ocean. So I had to send the Thestral back to Hogwarts and kip out on the couch in that shack, but anyway," he concluded as he saw people looking at him perplexed, "thas' how I managed." Hagrid cleared his throat and squirmed in his chair that was basically a small couch.

"Huh," was all Marlene could manage at the explanation before turning back to James with a somewhat dazed look.

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear. **

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger. **

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon. **

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant. **

Caradoc burst out laughing. Others were chuckling while Hagrid looked confusedly around the table. "Wha?"

"You just busted down the door and then, without so much as introducing yourself, said, 'Here's Harry!' You don't see how this is funny?" asked Caradoc in between chuckles. At Hagrid's shrug he just laughed harder.

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile. **

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yet dad, but yeh've got yet mom's eyes." **

Snape sighed and crossed his arms irritably over his chest. Let the fawning over the mini Potter begin.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise. **

"**I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room. **

James looked up from the book, "Thanks, Hagrid." Several other people visibly relaxed having feared the fool of a Muggle would do something rash with the gun.

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on. **

**"Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here - I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." **

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing. **

"Mmm. Sounds so appetizing when described that way," said Fred while rubbing circles on his stomach in mock hunger.

"It was very thoughtful, Hagrid," said Dorcas as she patted the half-giant on the arm and shot Fred a glare.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?" **

"Manners!" tsked Molly.

**The giant chuckled. **

**"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." **

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm. **

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind." **

"Hagrid." Reprimanded McGonagall as she pinched the bridge of her nose in consternation. Beside her Dumbledore laughed softly at the antics of his former colleague.

"It was a rough ride from the castle," shrugged Hagrid, black beetle eyes amused at the witch's exasperation with him.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath. **

"Erm," Alice cleared her throat delicately, "Aren't you, you know, slightly forbidden from using magic and whatnot?"

Not looking up from his study of the tabletop Hagrid managed to mumble, "I – er- was technically not permitted, per say, to perform magic but of course, I was given permission to do so of the need arose." Here he snuck a glance at Dumbledore that did not go unnoticed by everyone else around the table.

Alice looked between the former headmaster and the half giant a few times but all she said was, "Ah," before leaning back in her comfy chair and waving an imperious hand for James to continue. He just snorted at her before shaking his head good-naturedly and continuing.

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

Hagrid snorted, "Like I would give anything ter tha' great lump o' a boy."

"You know brother mine," said Fred looking shrewdly at the Games Keeper.

"That coat's got potential for future sales?" finished George with a bit of a wistful look at his brother. He sighed and leaned his head on his hand looking down at his other hand resting on the table.

Fred looked at his twin and frowned. "Well, it does, doesn't it? I mean, the thought of a coat or cloak with enough pockets for anything and everything you need, or even one that has pre-packed pockets full of useful items is not a bad idea." He poked George in the side, wondering at the suddenly morose look on the other's face.

Without looking up, George said quietly, "Haven't really decided whether to re-open the shop or not, to be honest."

Fred looked flabbergasted. "What? Why the bloody Hell –" at his mother's pointed look he amended it to, "Why the ruddy heck not?" George finally looked up at his twin with such an aching sadness and emptiness that Fred immediately understood. He looked around at all of his brothers and his parents who bore similar pained looks on their faces. "Oh." Fred frowned again as he tucked his brother in manly, one armed hug. He poked him in the side again before stating, "We _will_ be discussing this later, Gred." George quirked a sad little smile at Fred and nodded slightly.

**The giant chuckled darkly. **

**"Yet great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."**

"Ha!" laughed Kingsley. "He is a pudding isn't he, all roly-poly and gelatinous."

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." **

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. **

"You didn't manage to have a proper handkerchief in that coat of yours, Hagrid?" asked Emmeline, wrinkling her nose at the lack of sanitary manners.

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm **

**Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."**

"No," growled Aberforth with a dark look at his brother who just sighed and refused to meet his eyes.

**"Er - no," said Harry. **

**Hagrid looked shocked. **

**"Sorry," Harry said quickly. **

"What's he apologizing for?" asked a confused Benjy.

Many people shrugged.

Snape sighed. He put on one of his fiercest scowls making sure no one read to far into what he was about to say. Besides Lily, that is. "It is a conditioned response." At the blank looks from those gathered around the table he stifled the urge to roll his eyes. "Based on the examples we have seen previously in the book of the Dursely's behavior toward Potter the younger, we can assume that they have conditioned the boy to feel as though everyone else's negative reactions are his fault." Snape stopped speaking as a sudden and unwelcome flash from his own childhood assaulted him briefly. He shoved the memory back viciously and refocused on this Great Hall.

Molly gave a great sniff. "Those….Those loathsome, low-down, lousy, lugubrious louts!" yelled the Weasley matriarch as everyone else just stared at her. Sirius finally blinked and then stood and clapped followed by Remus. Several people stayed in their seats but added to the applause, none-the-less.

Snape fought the outright grin as he cleared his throat. "While I commend you for using the word lugubrious properly if at all, I must point out that you have skipped right over the letter K."

Molly huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, still annoyed at the Dursley's treatment of her adoptive son. "Well, I just couldn't think of any that started with K, can you?" she asked tartly.

Snape opened his mouth to reply with many choice insults starting with K, but closed it with a snap when he saw Lily shake her head. "Let her have this one," she mouthed. Snape gave a slight nod and settled back into his seat.

**"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It' s them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?" **

**"All what?" asked Harry.**

James looked at his wife, then discreetly moved slightly away from her, leaning back in his chair so as not to yell in her ear. He motioned that he was about to yell and she gratefully leaned towards Sirius instead.

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!" **

Lily sighed and looked at the large man sadly.

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall. **

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?" **

Caradoc sniggered again. "You basically just yelled that Harry was stupid and an ignoramus. Brilliant."

Hagrid frowned and muttered, "Shut it."

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.**

"See?" said Caradoc.

"Although he wasn't far off the mark," stated Snape. It seemed he couldn't stop himself from making these kinds of remarks on the younger Potter's intelligence, although the usual bite was missing in his comment. James threw him a rather unpleasant look, while Lily simply looked disappointed. She gazed at him in silence long enough that he felt like squirming slightly when she finally sighed and sagged in her seat.

"You knew him then, at Hogwarts?" At Snape's almost hesitant nod she sighed again. "Am I to assume then, that you were not on the best terms with my son?"

At this, the Weasley twins both snorted in amusement. "That would be a bit-" started George.

"Of an understatement." Finished a grinning Fred.

"Severus-" Lily stopped at Snape's raised hand.

"I am certain that my attitude toward your son will come to light in a few chapters but I will say that I was basing my own behavior in what knowledge I had to work with and did not know all of how he was raised."

Charlie snorted quietly, "Shya right," he muttered.

**"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff." **

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world." **

**"What world?" **

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode. **

"Good," said Mad-Eye, "Give them what for."

"Erm, it is about to get loud for awhile. Those of you with delicate hearing," James looked pointedly at his wife and Remus, "might want to brace yourselves and cover you ears."

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed. **

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry. **

**"But yeh must know about yet mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous." **

**"What? My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?" **

**"Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. **

"I am sorry for putting you in that situation, Hagrid," sighed Dumbledore looking contritely at the half-giant. "I had thought that they would have at least read the letter to young Harry."

**"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally. **

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice. **

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!" **

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage. **

**"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?" **

**"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly. **

James chuckled and looked affectionately at his wife. "Nothing like a little mystery to keep life interesting, eh Lily?" As she smiled self-deprecatingly at him McGonagall snored and Snape sighed while Dumbledore smiled knowingly.

"You've no idea," muttered McGonagall as Snape nodded in commiseration. Lily and James blinked at each other then turned suspicious gazed towards their former head master.

"I believe we shall see the extent of Harry's curiosity this coming year in the book, but let us say that he is very adept at spotting a mystery and searching for answers."

This response did help those suspicions in the slightest and Harry's parents shared a dark look before turning back to the book.

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. **

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

**"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yer a wizard." **

"Great, galloping gargoyles!" shouted Fabian in mock horror. His brother promptly hit him in the shoulder while trying to hide his laughter from his sister who was eying the both of them.

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. **

**"- a what?" gasped Harry. **

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter." **

James looked up at the half-giant with a wide smile. "Love you too, big guy." Hagrid blushed even deeper behind his beard and muttered what could have been "Well, shucks."

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. He pulled out the letter and read: **

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY **

**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE **

**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) **

**Dear Mr. Potter, **

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. **

**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely, **

**Minerva McGonagall, **

**Deputy Headmistress**

"Really, there ought to be more explanation from Muggle-born and Muggle-raised students than that. It is highly confusing to those not from the wizarding world," stated Lily. While most of the others around the table looked at her blankly, a few nodded in agreement.

Lily sighed and shook her head at the close-mindedness of wizarding Britain. "A Muggle-born or raised child will have no idea what it means 'you expect to her back by owl.' I think the least that can be done would be to simply state that an owl will carry the written response back to the sender."

McGonagall looked thoughtful at this and slowly nodded her head. "Lily, would you mind having a small discussion tomorrow about this? I can see potential in changing the wordage of these letters and other official Hogwarts correspondence to ensure a greater number of students are prepared for school."

At Lily's smiled yes, James took the book up again.

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?" **

Lily gave a very satisfied pointed look at those around the table. Dumbledore nodded and with a little chuckle said, "Ah, I see what you mean."

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl - a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl - a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down: **

**Dear Professor Dumbledore, **

**Given Harry his letter. **

**Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. **

**Weather's horrible. Hope you're Well. **

**Hagrid **

"Well, that was concise," chuckled Kingsley. Hagrid just shrugged self deprecatingly as others joined in the mirth.

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone. **

"Oh! I took Ron into town a few years ago so he could talk to Harry on that Tellypone. What an extraordinary contraption," enthused Arthur.

Fred and George grinned at each other while Molly simply rolled her eyes. "Isn't that when that fat Muggle shouted at him to never call again because Ron kept yelling into the thing?" asked Bill innocently, as he had heard the tale from his brothers on numerous occasions.

Some of the joy left Arthur's face as it reddened a bit. "Oh – er- yes, well, that happened as well. But, it doesn't take away from the fact that it worked, does it?"

Molly patted him sympathetically on the shoulder.

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly. **

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight. **

**"He's not going," he said. **

**Hagrid grunted. **

"Good, Hagrid, speak his language so he'll understand," said Caradoc with a malicious grin.

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said. **

**"A what?" said Harry, interested. **

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like thern. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on." **

"Wasn't luck, I'm afraid," said Remus, shooting a disapproving look at Dumbledore.

**"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!" **

Snape closed his eyes at the onslaught of unwanted memories from his own childhood. He had tried to help the students in his own house that came from less than ideal home situations but had no control over those in other houses. Not that, he admitted to himself, he would have felt much sympathy for any Gryffindors, especially Harry Potter. Snape sighed as he saw what his own prejudices had wrought on the students. If he had opened his eyes, perhaps given them the benefit of the doubt, he would have been able to aid Lily's son instead of contribute to making his life harder. Looking back at his behavior towards the Boy-Who-Lived, Snape began to be rather disgusted with himself. Not that Potter was a saint, certainly the boy had a flippant attitude and displayed an irritating arrogance in the most unfortunate circumstances. But, was the Harry Potter that Snape saw, the real one or a figment of his imagination combined with Potter's coping skills in a hostile environment. He vowed to pay close attention to how his interactions with the boy played out from Potter's point of view to see for certain.

Snape was not the only Order member feeling twinges of guilt at how Harry was treated by his relatives. Most of those who had been vocal, were now simply too tired of all the abuse stated (and implied) in the book to do anything but sit in silence and fume. Their throats were sore from yelling and that had accomplished nothing except for easing their own tempers. Dumbledore could do nothing as this represented the past for him and he maintained that it had been necessary to leave Harry with the Dursley's anyway.

For his part, Dumbledore _was_ feeling pangs of regret. He had known that the situation at number 4 Privet Drive was less than ideal. He had not known about the physical abuse or the extreme neglect. Well, to be honest, he had guessed, at least some of it. But, to be told twice in as many chapters that the Dursley's had specifically undertaken to stop Harry's magic from manifesting; it hit too close to what happened to Arianna. The potential for Harry to suffer in the way his little sister had made Dumbledore shiver. It was a scary and sobering thought. And the situation was one that he had no control over. Yet, maybe he could…Dumbledore tapped thoughtfully at his chin as he thought that perhaps a well worded letter to his younger self, to be delivered by Lily and James would help ease young Harry's life, were it to come to that. Maybe some day the young man would find it heart to forgive an old general who made decisions designed to save the world, not the soul of a small boy.

**"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a - a wizard?"**

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. **

"Oh, Merlin, here she goes," sighed Lily with her head in her hands.

**"Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frogspawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!" **

"Love you too, you…What letter are we on?" asked Lily.

"Well, since we seem to have jumped past K and went straight to L, we are on the letter M," replied Snape, amused to see what his old friend would come up with.

Lily nodded towards Snape, "Ah, yes, thank you Sev. Love you too, you mean, monstrous, menopausal, misanthropic, maggoty, malformed, malicious, malignant, moronic, moose-faced BITCH!"

Sirius was counting on his fingers as Lily went on with her insults getting louder until she practically yelled the last word. "Wow, that is a good ten insults! Although I feel it my duty to point out that the last one there didn't start with an M." He then dodged to the side to avoid Lily's hand. She feinted to the right then slapped out with her left hand again, this time catching the animagus upside the head. Snape simply watched everything unfold with a smirk and the satisfaction could still dish out the punishment.

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years. **

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you,**

James put the book down and looked around the room with a bemused expression. "You know, it is sort of odd to be reading about myself this way. Having to read out loud how hated I and those I love are. Just a strange experience, thought I'd share."

**and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - abnormal - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!" **

"Ugh! What a detestable woman! And this is how Harry finds out what happened to his parents," exclaimed Emmeline. Then seemingly unable to help herself, she repeated, "Ugh!"

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!" **

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"**

**"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently. **

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh - but someone's gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." **

McGonagall snorted. "That would have been a right mess. Can you imagine that little boy being thrust into all of that without even a rudimentary preparation? He would have lost his mind and then some."

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

**"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..." **

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -" **

"But that's just it, Hagrid, Harry wasn't raised in our world," Alice said as kindly as she could while still implying that this was obvious.

**"Who?"**

**"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

Quite a few of those sitting around the table nodded their heads in agreement with the book-Hagrid.

**"Why not?" **

Dumbledore smiled slightly at this first hint of Harry questioning wizarding traditions and beginning to do what was right, not what he was told.

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..." **

"You like those G alliterations, don't you Hagrid?" asked a smirking Fred

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out. **

**"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested. **

**"Nah -can't spell it. All right - Voldemort." Hagrid shuddered. **

"Well done, Hagrid," cheered Dumbledore. Everyone really needed to stop fearing the made up name of Tom Riddle. He wasn't the grim specter he made himself out to be but simply a very powerful and more slightly insane wizard bent on destruction and chaos, and all together human.

**"Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway. **

**"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. **

Remus snorted and looked at Hagrid in amusement. "That, and he was a right evil git." James laughed at his friend's rather colloquial description of the Dark Lord.

**"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' - an' -" **

James came to a stop along with the sentence he was reading. Taking a deep breath, he hugged Lily tighter to him with one arm before continuing.

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn. **

**"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find - anyway..." **

Lily gave Hagrid a watery smile before tucking her head back against her husband's shoulder, finding comfort in the solid warmth of it.

**"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. **

Lily let out a sob and looked to the playpen where the two babies slept peacefully unaware of the story and the emotions it was bringing to forefront. She got up and looked at little Harry for a few minutes while others around the table controlled their own emotions with loud blasts into handkerchiefs and a few audible sobs. The babies were both breathing evenly, in and out, in and out. Lily let the small puffs of air calm her and went to sit back with her husband who was watching her intently. "He's OK," she said as she patted on his shoulder before taking her seat and leaning into James again.

**Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a Powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age – **

James stopped again and gulped in a fortifying breath before continuing in a subdued voice.

**the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts - an' you was only a baby, an' you lived." **

"Damn." It was Edgar who had spoken. He looked soberly around the table at his friends and fellow Order members. "Does he get all of us? Even my daughter?" he asked quietly.

McGonagall shook her head while wiping her eyes. "No, Eddie, Susan survived and Amelia took her in. You will probably hear about her when Harry gets to Hogwarts." She didn't have the heart to mention that his sister was murdered after Voldemort had risen again. Edgar sighed and slumped tiredly in his chair at this.

Marlene and the Prewett twins looked equally disturbed by the death sentence. Molly was simply letting her tears run down her face as her own handkerchief was soaked through. "Damn, indeed," muttered Marlene as James dutifully picked up the book to continue reading.

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh. **

Dorcas shivered, "What a horrible thing to remember!"

**Hagrid was watching him sadly. **

**"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..." **

"An right sorry I am tha' I did, too!" Hagrid said, glaring at the book.

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched. **

**"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured – **

"!" Lily shouted in rage and frustration.

Gideon blinked at the red faced woman, "What?"

**and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion – **

Now it was Sirius and Remus' turn for an inarticulate yell of rage. Surprisingly to some, Snape joined in with a guttural growl that would have had his students running for it. The world was definitely not better off without James and Lily. Well, if Snape were honest with himself, and he usually tried to be, he really do without James, but he kept that thought to himself.

**asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -" **

Snape had enough. "Shut your yipper, you nasty, nauseating, noisome, nefarious Neanderthal!" He sat down quickly as everyone blinked up at him from where he had jumped to his feet. He scowled and looked down but not before catching the small grin Lily sent his way. Amazing what a small facial gesture could do to warm a heart that had been closed off for sixteen years.

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley -I'm warning you - one more word... " **

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent. **

**"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them. **

**"But what happened to Vol-, sorry - I mean, You-Know-Who?" **

Mad-Eye nodded, "Good lad, cutting straight through to the important questions."

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see... he was gettin' more an' more powerful - why'd he go? **

**"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. **

"Excellent observation, Hagrid," beamed Dumbledore. James and several others frowned at this. What exactly did it mean that Voldemort was not human enough to die, surely this did not bode well for anyone they knew and the wizarding world et large.

**Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. **

**"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on - I dunno what it was, no one does - but somethin' about you stumped him, all right." **

Caradoc sighed and yawned. "For a big strong silent type, you sure do go on ad nauseam, don't you?"

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football? **

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard." **

"Don't worry, Harry, you are a wizard and a spectacular one if I do say so myself!" cheered Dedalus with a small giggle and a clap. Snape just frowned at the ever-cheerful man.

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled. **

**"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?" **

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it... every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry... chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach... dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back... and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him? **

Fred laughed, "Brilliant that was. Wish he had done it on purpose though."

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him. **

**"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts." **

"For all the wrong reasons," snorted Benjy.

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight. **

"Course not," sighed Lily.

**"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish - spell books and wands and -" **

**"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter' s son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled-" **

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL To TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon. **

"Excellent," murmured Mad-Eye with an evil little smile toward Hagrid.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDORE- IN- FRONT- OF- ME!" **

"Yes! Give it to em Hagrid!" yelled Fred and George at the same time.

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley - there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers. **

"That was highly dangerous and irresponsible, Hagrid," McGonagall said with a glare at the Care of Magical Creatures professor. He hung his head like a spanked puppy and missed her quirk of amusement as she tried not to laugh. Most of the rest of the people around the table held no such illusions of decorum and howled in delight at the fat pig of a child finally getting his comeuppance.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them. **

"And good riddance," nodded Elphias.

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do." **

McGonagall sighed, "That's not how it works, and you know it Hagrid." The half-giant now looked up at the former Transfiguration teacher and gave a shy grin of acknowledgement.

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows. **

**"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff - one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job."**

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry. **

"Manners, Harry," tsked Molly.

**"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."**

**"Why were you expelled?"**

Bill snorted, "Curious little bugger, ain't he?"

"An unfortunate family inheritance," said Remus nodding at James and Lily who both stuck their tongues out at the werewolf in perfect unison.

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that." **

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry. **

**"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets." **

"Well, at least he was probably warm under that," shrugged Frank.

James put the book down with a yawn. "That's the end of the chapter folks."

Dumbledore clapped his hands and stood, "Well, why don't we all retire for the night and meet back here by 8am for breakfast before we continue reading, hmm?" And with that, the former headmaster walked swiftly from the Great Hall before anyone could stop him and start yelling about the Dursleys again. Everyone else slowly got to their feet and began making their own way to their beds. Lily signaled James to take baby Harry and head on up to the tower without her. She waited until everyone had left except for Snape.

"Severus?"

Snape looked down from staring at the cloudy sky of the enchanted ceiling towards his childhood friend and love of his life. He quirked an eyebrow at her in an invitation to continue.

"I just wanted to say how glad I am that we're getting this chance to be around each other and reconnect." She fidgeted and looked down at her feet. "I know I can hold a grudge and I will probably get angry at you for other things in the days to come based on some of your responses toward the book so far," at this Snape looked down and Lily shook her head. She breathed in and out before continuing, "Look, I understand that you are going to probably be horrible to Harry in the book. And that makes me sad. But I want you to know that, well, he is a part of me. You know?" She stepped closer to the taciturn man. "Harry is a continuation of me and I know that it broke my heart when we grew apart, and – I guess I would like you to see Harry as much a part of me as you so clearly see James in him." She hesitated in front of him before throwing her arms around the Potions Master and kissing him gently on the cheek. She smiled up at him briefly before turning to leave the Great Hall. Just before exiting the Hall, Lily turned back to Snape, who had remained planted where he was in shock. "It's good to have you back again, Sev."

Snape watched red hair whip out of sight. He could still feel her warmth and smell her shampoo that lingered after her embrace. Closing his eyes he pushed away the what-ifs and should-haves that sprung to his mind. Finally shaking himself, Snape made for the doors and the dungeons absently rubbing his cheek where Lily had kissed him. "It's good to be back, Lils."

* * *

><p>AN: Well, there it is! Also, OMG only a few more days until DH2 comes out in the US! So excited! I need to remember my pack of tissues, as I know I'm going to be a sobbing mess through most of the movie. Sorry this chapter is not as long as usual, but it is kind of a short chapter in the book anyway. Just so no one gets worried, no I am not having Snape and Lily get into a romance. They are simply going to try and get their long broken friendship back into shape. Let's face it, Snape needs some good times to come his way for everything that has happened in his life, admittedly some of it was his own fault, but still.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6: Diagon Alley

AN: Hello all. Long time no see. I know, I know. Thank you for keeping on me to continue this. I truly enjoy writing this fanfic and plan to continue. Real life just keeps getting in the way (new job, health issues with the doggie, writer's block blah blah blah) but alas, this is no excuse for my extreme tardiness in updating. I have read everyone's reviews and am willing to take in to account what people want. I have heard clamoring for some of the future teens to make an appearance physically. While I don't intend to write them in for the main part of this first book, they may make some cameo appearances towards the end, say. No promises though, we will see how it all flows out.

Warning: This chapter is looooong. By far the longest I have written. Also, it is unabashedly sugary sweet in places. Just saying.

And now, on with the show!

Chapter 6: Diagon Alley

_Previously in our saga-_

"_Severus?" _

_Snape looked down from staring at the cloudy sky of the enchanted ceiling towards his childhood friend and love of his life. He quirked an eyebrow at her in an invitation to continue._

"_I just wanted to say how glad I am that we're getting this chance to be around each other and reconnect." She fidgeted and looked down at her feet. "I know I can hold a grudge and I will probably get angry at you for other things in the days to come based on some of your responses toward the book so far," at this Snape looked down and Lily shook her head. She breathed in and out before continuing, "Look, I understand that you are going to probably be horrible to Harry in the book. And that makes me sad. But I want you to know that, well, he is a part of me. You know?" She stepped closer to the taciturn man. "Harry is a continuation of me and I know that it broke my heart when we grew apart, and – I guess I would like you to see Harry as much a part of me as you so clearly see James in him." She hesitated in front of him before throwing her arms around the Potions Master and kissing him gently on the cheek. She smiled up at him briefly before turning to leave the Great Hall. Just before exiting the Hall, Lily turned back to Snape, who had remained planted where he was in shock. "It's good to have you back again, Sev."_

_Snape watched red hair whip out of sight. He could still feel her warmth and smell her shampoo that lingered after her embrace. Closing his eyes he pushed away the what-ifs and should-haves that sprung to his mind. Finally shaking himself, Snape made for the doors and the dungeons absently rubbing his cheek where Lily had kissed him. "It's good to be back, Lils."_

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, if cold. The snow-covered grounds of Hogwarts sparkled in the sunshine like glass. The members of the Order of the Phoenix found their ways back to the Great Hall more or less by eight to find breakfast waiting for them. Chairs were resumed although some people changed where they had been sitting, choosing to sit next to different people than the day before.

The Weasleys and Prewetts all sat together again around one arc of the large circular table. A family known for healthy appetites, all members tore into the provided feast with gusto. Fred sat next George and waited until he had taken a few big gulps of food before bringing up he topic he had stowed the previous evening.

"So, you're not sure about the shop, huh?" he asked as casually as he could. George nearly choked on his bangers causing bits of sausage to spray everywhere and his still present hoop earrings to jangly loudly. Fred hid a smirk at his brother's discomfiture. He continued to eat, though, allowing George to regain some semblance of dignity before looking him in the eye and raising an eyebrow at his other half.

George finished wiping sausage bits off his chin and turned to glare at his brother but had to look down quickly at the serious questioning look sent his way. He opted to stare at his plate and push his eggs around dejectedly instead. "Erm, yeah. I'm just not sure about-" he took a long fortifying breath, "not sure about going on with the shop without you there, you know? It's just – just not the same." George finished quietly, all joviality gone from his voice.

Fred just blinked at his brother for a few seconds before leaning so as not to be overheard by everyone sitting around the table. "After everything we worked on, all the money we spent, and made might I add, you are going to give up because one of isn't there in the physical sense to help out?" he hissed in an anger whisper. George shot him another glare before quickly glancing around at his family. The other Weasleys were either engaged in their own conversations or were studiously not looking at the twins, giving them some amount of privacy.

"That's not – well, not _all_ of it. I mean, it's a lot of work, you know, and I would have to clean out the shop and basically start everything there from the beginning. The Death Eaters did a number on the shop and I swear there were some half-troll squatters holed up in the back room there. Anyway," George looped a finger through one of his earrings and tugged distractedly at it, "I don't know if I can face it." At Fred's audible scoff, George amended, "Not, not without you."

Fred sighed. This was not how it was supposed to be. That last thing he remembered before a loud noise and then nothingness was laughing with Percy during the fight. He had no idea what was going to happen to him after they finished reading, but he knew what his brother should do. What he _wanted_ his brother to achieve in his namesake. Looking up, he made a decision. "Er, excuse me, Li – Mrs. Potter?" he called across the table to Lily who had just arrived with little Harry and Alice and Neville, the babies having been fed separately for privacy's sake. After handing the baby off to James who was carefully eating toast around an armful of Harry, Lily was currently plowing her own way through a generous heaping of breakfast. She looked up at Fred and smiled encouragingly. "Please just call me Lily, much easier on the tongue."

"Thanks," Fred grinned, "would you please send over the note from the future? I have a little something I need to discuss with the future folks."

Lily looked down at the piece of parchment resting innocently in front of her plate. The text about the Dursleys had disappeared leaving the back of the note blank and waiting for something else to be written down. She pulled out her wand and sent the paper towards Fred with a well-placed wind Charm. George snorted into his pumpkin juice before muttering, "You couldn't remember a simple _Accio_?"

Fred smiled again at Harry's mother in thanks before taking the quill and ink from his father's place and jabbing his twin in the side for his comment.

_Harry,_

_It's Fred. My git of a brother is saying he doesn't want to reopen WWW. Convince him this is the stupidest thing he could ever do and I will never haunt him if he goes and becomes boring._

_Sincerely Forge_

"You're an idiot," said George, reading over his brother's shoulder.

"Takes one to be related to one," shot back Fred who stuck his tongue out. George was about to reply in kind when messy writing appeared underneath Fred's message.

_Forge,_

_It's nice to hear from you, or read from you, or whatever. You can tell your brother that he isn't alone. We all miss you and wish things had turned out differently. Maybe they can if everyone there that has the power to do so changes a few small things after reading the books. Ron and I have decided against going into the Auror corps for the time being. Hopefully we will be able to return and finish our final year at Hogwarts in some capacity, but we will have to see about that, I guess. The point it is, we are all ready and willing to help out in the shop. I think now, more than ever, people need a good laugh. Especially Gred. Of course it won't be the same, but life has to go on, you know? And if you could come and haunt the place, that would be brilliant! Scare those little buggers with sticky fingers right off._

_Miss you,_

_Harry_

Fred looked up triumphantly. George looked down and rubbed his face with his sleeve. After a bit, he nodded almost reluctantly. "Mind you, this isn't a definite, but I'll think on it, alright?" Fred nodded and gave his brother a playful punch in the arm.

On the other side of the table, the Order members had changed their seating slightly. Snape now sat sandwiched between McGonagall, who refused to sit next to Dumbledore, and Dedalus, who was happy to sit just about anywhere. He had spent a surprisingly acceptable half hour discussing the new Hogwarts with his former colleague and giving his own views and advice on improvements. McGonagall proved to be an interested party and an eager listener and before he knew it they had both finished their breakfasts and were on to discussing the best way to incorporate eight years of students into what would surely be demanding exam schedules.

"It might behoove you to integrate all of the 8th years into one large class as it seems you will have fewer numbers there than in 7th and 5th years," said Snape leaning towards McGonagall who was nodding with enthusiasm and scratching quickly on a parchment.

"Yes, I thought that as well." She reached up to tug a stray hair back into her tightly wound hair at the base of her neck. "The real trick, besides the added numbers and what to do with all of the students who received only half a year of education, not to mention those awful Muggle Studies and DADA classes," McGonagall sighed tiredly and Snape was somewhat thankful that he didn't have anything to do with the upcoming year at all. "The real trick is going to be re-integrating the returning Slytherins into the school as a whole. Those that actively participated with the Death Eaters have been doled out punishments ranging from time in Azkaban to a type of magical probation," it was Snape's turn to sigh. He had failed those students somehow and that failure did not sit well on the proud man's shoulders.

"Well, at least Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle will be coming back for their final year. I believe they will be able to lead the younger Slytherins." Snape blinked up at her in shock. McGonagall smiled kindly and patted Snape on his cheek in a very maternal fashion. He opened his mouth to question her but she spoke before he could. "Young Mr. Malfoy had a trial along with his parents, Severus. They gave themselves up at the end of the Battle and were tried within two weeks. Malfoy senior confessed to a number of crimes for a reduced sentence. He will spend the next thirty years in Azkaban." At Snape's raised eyebrows, McGonagall continued in an amused tone, "Yes, he accepted this punishment as it would get him out in time to spend time with his grandchildren and by then, maybe great grandchildren."

Snape looked down at his ink stained fingers. "It seems like such a short sentence for all of the atrocities that man committed. I witnessed a great many of them myself. He was not merely a passive observer, Minerva."

McGonagall nodded knowingly. "I know, and I agree. However, the newly reformed Wizengamot felt that since he gave himself up freely, confessed to his crimes without provocation, and showed some remorse, he deserved some leniency."

"In other words, the man is still filthy rich and that money could serve the Ministry well in years to come regardless of Malfoy's checkered history?" asked Snape, slightly disgusted. McGonagall nodded her head slightly but made a non-committal noise in response. "You mentioned Draco. What of him and Narcissa?"

"Ah, well, their trials caused rather a stir, I must say." McGonagall cleared her throat uncomfortably but continued, none-the-less. "It seems that in forest, where Voldemort was camped after, er-" she gestured uncertainly at Snape who nodded curtly once, understanding she was referring to his own rather grisly death, "well, apparently, at a critical point in the forest, Narcissa Malfoy managed to deceive Voldemort thereby saving Harry's life."

Snape literally felt his mouth drop open in shock. Narcissa had knowingly deceived the Dark Lord. Narcissa had willingly done so in order to save Potter's life. What had possessed her to finally show a backbone and do something about the pasty, red-eyed parasite that had been suckling off her family for years? She had been like a whipped dog, rolling over and allowing the Dark Lord to do as he pleased with the house, with her husband, with- "Ah, Draco," said Snape, hitting on the only thing that would cause Narcissa to defy her Lord.

McGonagall nodded. "Yes, it seems that during the initial Battle at some point, Draco attempted to apprehend Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger with the help of Messrs. Crabbe and Goyle." Snape snorted, he could imagine the cluster that turned out to be. While Potter was adept at getting himself into life-threatening situations, he was also rather skilled at getting out of them as well, as much as Snape was loathe to compliment the impertinent brat. "Well," here McGonagall sighed and gazed sadly down at the table, unable to meet her colleague's eyes, "after a skirmish somewhere on the seventh flour, Vincent Crabbe let loose with Fiendfyre."

"What!" Snape snapped out. He ignored those around the table that turned to look at him. "What was that troglodyte doing using a spell that advanced and dangerous?"

"The Carrows," replied McGanagall disapprovingly. Snape put his head in his hands and groaned.

"I tried, Minerva, I swear to you I tried to curtail their influence over the students." He ran his hands through his hair and sat back up to give her a look pleading for her to understand. She leaned over and patted him on the cheek again.

"I know." At his look, she corrected herself, "Now. Anyway, they were bound to spread their filth to some of the students unfortunately. Crabbe used the Fiendfyre and of course it got away from him. To make a long story short, Harry, Ron and Hermione ended up flying out of that room on old brooms and saving both Draco and Goyle to boot. Alas, they were not able to save Vincent Crabbe from his own spell and he joined the depressing number of current Hogwarts students to perish in the final Battle."

Snape leaned back in his chair, which he had attempted to change at once when he came down to breakfast in the morning (he thought maybe one of the squares of the plaid had turned black, but couldn't tell). "So, Narcissa was paying Potter back for saving her son."

"Mm, not quite. She only inquired as to whether her son was alive, apparently, not how he remained that way. But, Harry showed up at her trial and testified what I just told you. Narcissa was given thirty years house arrest with the aid of House Elves and the privilege of visitation, both with her husband at Azkaban and to have people call on her at Malfoy Manor." McGonagall looked around the table and continued quickly noticing that most everyone was ready to resume reading the book. "Harry attended Draco's trial as well and stated what happened on the Astronomy Tower. He said that Draco was lowering his wand and that he also tried to help them somehow at Malfoy Manor. Since, Draco had not actually participated in a crime besides being peripherally involved or being a pawn, he will be under house arrest for the next five years but will attend his final year at Hogwarts."

Snape shook his head. He was glad that Draco would continue his education and hoped that the Malfoy heir would grow from these experiences. He was saddened by the loss of Crabbe, even if the boy had been thicker than brick. Snape leaned forward to continue the discussion but was cut off by Dumbledore clearing his throat.

"Ah, as it seems we have all quenched our voracious appetites perhaps we should begin reading again." The room quieted as everyone eyed the book sitting innocently in front of James. "Well," Dumbledore clapped his hands together excitedly, "who would like to begin this morning, hm?"

After a rather pregnant pause, Tonks leaned across both Remus and Sirius to snatch the book up before the silence continued to make everyone uncomfortable. "I'll read. Might as well, as that's the only way I'll get to say anything with these two chatterboxes around." She gestured at the two men she had just leaned over and sniffed imperiously before opening the book to the correct page. **"Chapter Five: Diagon Alley,"** she read.

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight. **

**"It was a dream," he told himself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard." **

"Why would the poor child try to convince himself of something so depressing?" asked a confused Hestia.

"Coping mechanism." Eyes turned to Snape who shrugged nonchalantly. "It is a common coping mechanism, along with the questioning of good things and the distrust of authority figures, to seemingly hope for fortunate events to have been a dream. That way, if those events do not come to pass, the child has not set themselves up for disappointment and further abuse."

McGonagall sniffed next to him. "You were an excellent Head of House, Severus, I'm glad the children had you for support."

A few others nodded in agreement. Lily, who had her head resting on James shoulder and a hand on Harry's back as he dozed off his full belly, simply looked at her childhood friend with sad knowing eyes.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise. **

**And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

**"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up." **

**He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak. **

**Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. **

James smiled down at his son who was currently drenching his chest in drool as he slept.

**He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat. **

**"Don't do that."**

**Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat. **

**"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl."**

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

"And just how is the sad little boy who only found out wizards exist a few hours previously supposed to know our money let alone where in the blazes it is hidden in your coat of never ending pockets?" asked Dorcas in consternation.

Hagrid scratched his beard and shrugged self-consciously. "Er, guess I weren't quite awake yet."

Dorcas huffed and crossed her arms, rolling her eyes at the half-giant.

**"What?"**

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets." Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets - bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags... finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins. **

"Och, honestly, Hagrid!" exclaimed McGonagall in her most disapproving tone.

**"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily. **

Fabian broke out into giggles. "I can just see Harry finding a load of cashews or something and handing five over to the owl."

A few others got the joke and chuckled as well but most of the Order members just sighed and turned back to Tonks.

**"Knuts?" **

**"The little bronze ones." **

It was Gideon this time who giggled. "Little bronze 'knuts.' Heh."

**Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched. **

"Well, why-" Dorcas threw her hands up in annoyance.

**"Best be Off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school." **

**Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture. **

"Well, that's never a fun feeling," said Dedalus sagely.

Caradoc turned to the little wizard in surprise. "You, of the perpetual giggle, have felt this way?"

Dedalus nodded, "Oh yes, quite a few times. This past year tested me sorely, in fact."

Caradoc raised his eyebrows. "What in Merlin's name were you doing? You'd be cheerful shoveling dragon's dung. I know it, because you were once."

"Guarding the Dursleys," answered the other man, simply.

**"Um - Hagrid?" **

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

**"I haven't got any money - and you heard Uncle Vernon last night ... he won't pay for me to go and learn magic." **

"Pfft. Like the Potter moneys wouldn't be used to help my son attend school," said James in tone that stated how obvious this was. He blinked and looked at Dumbledore with a sudden thought. "Speaking of that, how come none of that money was used to help my son growing up, you know paying for his _food_ and _clothes_ and _housing_? All things we have read that he was lacking in besides emotional stability and a loving household?"

Dumbledore looked uncomfortable again as everyone turned to him, interested in the answer. "Actually," he said sadly, "the Dursley's received a monthly stipend meant to help with those costs you just named. I felt it irresponsible to leave the boy with a family with only one working parent and no source of real income to raise two small children without some sort of compensation."

Silence filled the Great Hall as the Order members processed this.

"You mean to tell me," growled Mad-Eye into the stillness, "that you basically paid these Muggles monthly to do as they pleased with a child who was a hero to most of our world?"

Everyone swiveled back to Dumbledore like spectators watching a cricket match.

"I wouldn't quite phrase it that way, Alastor," said Dumbledore in a disapproving tone, "but, they were compensated for having to take care of an extra child, yes." He held up his hands to stave off the onslaught of outraged yelling that erupted at this. "I was unaware of the conditions at Number Four and had thought they were using the money appropriately."

Aberforth snorted. "Or, it helped shape the boy the way you wanted and worked into your plans for all of us, oh Master Manipulator."

"Anyway," interrupted Tonks looking at all the darkening faces around the table, "back to the reason we're all here, yah?"

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

**"But if their house was destroyed -"**

"Why would all of your money be gone if the house was destroyed?" asked a confused Dorcas.

"It is possible," said Elphias, "that the boy had never been to a bank and knew nothing of proper banking for either Muggles or wizards."

**"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold - an' I wouldn' say no the a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."**

**"Wizards have banks?"**

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."**

**Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

**"Goblins?"**

Charlie chuckled. "I suppose it is a bit surprising to someone raised outside of the magical world."

**"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, **

Fred and George burst into laughter followed by amused chuckles from a good number of those from the future. Snape blinked and realized what was so amusing and could only shake his head. Trust Harry Potter to learn this and manage to do the exact opposite in a rather spectacular way seven years later.

Those from the past and those who died before May 1998 looked on in bemusement. "Why is that line so funny!" Mad-Eye finally yelled over the peals of laughter.

McGonagall, who managed to contain her mirth to a rather proud smile answered. "Well, the day the Final Battle began started off with news that Harry, Hermione and Ron had, er, broken into Gringotts and escaped in a very," here she pursed her lips, "visible way."

"What!" shouted Lily, James and surprisingly Sirius. Others from the past looked horrified and maybe just a tad impressed. Dumbledore broke into a smile. He may have had to see the forest instead of the trees for the last twenty years, but he still appreciated a good prank especially perpetrated in the name of fighting for the Light, which he was sure was behind the stunt.

McGonagall nodded but it was Kingsley that answered around a large smile, "Apparently they needed something from Bellatrix Lestrange's vault and the only way of getting it was to befriend a rogue goblin, use Polyjuice, some well done glamours, and an invisibility cloak to sneak in and take it." At the flabbergasted faces of the Potters and Harry's godfather, Kingsley's smile grew impossibly wider. "Then of course, they had to escape."

Sirius leaned forward, now starting to smile himself. "And just how did my godson-turned-criminal do that?"

Kingsley shrugged with an air of nonchalance. "They freed one of the guardian dragons and rode on its back out of the bank, over London and north to safety."

Lily and James blinked at the man. "He rode a-" started Lily faintly. She couldn't finish. She looked at the now awake baby settled in James' arms. Most of the Order members followed her lead and looked at little Harry as he stared back with wide green eyes. He seemed unaffected by all the attention and continued to fist holds of his father's shirt and gum his own tongue, the tip poking out of his mouth. He noticed his mother looking at him finally and broke into a wide, toothless smile with a delighted squawk. Lily seemed to get over her shock. She smiled and waved playfully at her son before looking back to Kingsley and the others.

"Won't the goblins be angry now? What happens now, he won't go to Azkaban for breaking into a bank will he?" asked Lily, now worried for Harry's future.

Both Bill and Kingsley shook their heads. "No. Well, I will admit that at first they were quite bent on taking out rather physical punishments for all three of them." Said Kingsley loosing some of his joviality from earlier.

Mad-Eye nodded. "Disembowelment," he stated with a twisted grimace of a smirk.

Kingsley looked at the man. "Er, yes, that might have been suggested. However," he rushed to continue after Lily's horrified gasp, "after some negotiations," he nodded in Bill's direction, "and the goblins finding out exactly what Harry and company took and why the charges were dropped."

"Actually," Billed cleared his throat, "the goblins formally and publicly thanked Harry, Ron and Hermione for removing a Dark object from the goblin's domain. The goblin that helped them get in was fired from the bank but made a hero for his part by the goblin council. So, it was rather a win all around in that respect I guess."

"Well, that's good, I suppose," Lily said uncertainly.

**I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see.**

**"Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

**"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat. **

**"Flew," said Hagrid.**

**"Flew?"**

**"Yeah - but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."**

"Not that that stopped you earlier, eh?" growled Mad-Eye.

**They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

Snape rolled his eyes while McGonagall huffed "Hagrid!" under her breath and Dumbledore smiled brightly at the half-giant.

**"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.**

**"Spells - enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the highsecurity vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

Hagrid barked out a laugh this time. "Unless 'o course yer 'Arry Potter."

**Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.**

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

"Hey," scowled Kingsley good-naturedly, "I resemble that remark." At the looks of confusion from the past folks and amusement from the future he raised his right hand, as though he were in a support meeting of some kind and stated solemnly, "My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt and I lost my mind and accepted the position of Minister of Magic some months ago." He shook his head sadly before grinning at the shocked silence around the table.

"And a finer Minister we haven't had in nigh fifteen years either!" stated McGonagall strongly inducing those from the future to stand and clap towards Kinglsey who looked slightly embarrassed but stood and bowed to them, none-the-less.

Sirius got to his feet and clapped the man on the back. "Thank Merlin for intelligent Ministers and congrats!"

The congratulations were given for the next few minutes finally winding down enough for Tonks to continue reading.

**"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself.**

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, 0 'course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."**

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again after a long absence. "Not quite, Hagrid, but very nearly."

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"**

"Ha!" laughed Caradoc, "And, isn't that the eternal question!"

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

**"Why?"**

**"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."**

"Not that Muggles haven't invented ingenious contraptions to emulate magical effects and such," said Arthur. Lily, Tonks and even Snape nodded in agreement.

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.**

"Wait, how did the Dursleys extricate themselves from that rock then, if you took the boat?" asked Emmeline.

"Oh, that creepy little feller was there and we tol' him 'bout them and he said he would go an' get 'em," said Hagrid with a shrug that clearly stated how he felt about the Dursleys and them not getting off of the rock.

**Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"**

Arthur turned excitedly to Hagrid. "And what is a parking meeter?"

Molly sighed and tapped the piece of parchment with all of the other Muggle terms. "Arthur, dear, perhaps you should just write it down with the others." Her husband looked at her and then peeked at the others around the table and sighed, pulling the parchment towards him and taking up a nearby quill.

"You're almost as bad as that one," Mad-Eye jabbed a finger in Dedalus' direction, "with keeping the Statute of Secrecy."

**"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"**

Dorcas snorted. "Not any more, evidently," she said smiling at the baby who continued to be endlessly amused by the faces his mother was making at him.

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

The former and current Hogwarts staff either rolled their eyes or chuckled at the half-giant.

**"You'd like one?"**

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go."**

Charlie grinned up at Hagrid who went red and looked down at his hands.

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets.**

Arthur laughed, "I did the same at the Quidditch World Cup."

James and a good number of the folks from the past perked up at this. "You took Harry to the World Cup? What was it like? Who played, did Harry enjoy himself? I remember going with my parents when I was really little, we had the best seats and we-" he broke off, looking at the slightly glazed gazes from his wife and many others. "I, erm, I'll ask you about it on break, shall I?" James asked Arthur who smiled and nodded.

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

Hagrid chuckled, "It was a throw fer Fang's dog bed, actually."

**"Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches. Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.**

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."**

**Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY **

**UNIFORM **

**First-year students will require: **

**1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear **

**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) **

**4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings) Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags **

**COURSE BOOKS **

**All students should have a copy of each of the following: **

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk **

**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot **

**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling **

**A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch **

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore **

**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger **

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander **

**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble **

**OTHER EQUIPMENT**

**wand **

**cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set **

**glass or crystal phials **

**telescope set **

**brass scales**

**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**

**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.**

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.**

**Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.**

"Perhaps Hagrid was not the best choice of a guardian who was supposed to, er, blend in, as it were?" said Hestia, trying not to laugh out loud at her friend's behavior in the Muggle world.

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.**

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up? If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.**

Hagrid smiled at the book in Tonk's hands then at the baby who turned to look at him, then pointed a chubby little hand and squealed at the top of his lungs.

**"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."**

**It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big bookshop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it. Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside.**

Dumbledore nodded, eyes full on twinkling. "That would be the anti-Muggle wards and other charms meant to hide the place. Quite useful and effective, except when we have Muggle parents who need to bring their children to Diagon Alley, alas."

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. **

"Ha!" Aberforth let out a gruff laugh at the description of his fellow bar tender and friend. "Dead on- toothless walnut indeed." Many others chuckled at the mental image the words invoked.

**The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.**

Mad-Eye frowned. "You should have just gone through and not brought attention to the boy." His magical eye swung towards Hagrid rotating wildly in the socket. "It is much harder to protect him there with everyone knowing that Harry Potter is in Diagon Alley. Why not just walk him up to the nearest sketchy figure and thrust the boy at him and say 'here take him?'"

Hagrid looked down at the tabletop again in embarrassment. "I jus' was proud o' bein' asked ter do the job an' all." Dedalus patted him comfortingly on his arm. Others didn't seem to be able to decide to feel bad for Hagrid or annoyed that he had so blatantly called attention to Harry in the Leaky Cauldron of all places.

"Hmf," said Mad-Eye as he crossed his arms and scowled at the book with his real eye, the other staying fixed on the half-giant.

**"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this - can this be -?"**

Snape couldn't help the sneer that spread across his face as he muttered, "Here we go."

Lily didn't here him, but noticed his darkening features and narrowed her eyes at her friend suspiciously.

**The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.**

Caradoc whistled and leaned back in his chair, impressed despite himself.

**"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter... what an honor."**

Snape snorted and the sneer grew larger as he eyed James Potter smiling proudly at his little clone in his lap. Pathetic. McGonagall now noticed her colleague's attitude as well and lifted an eyebrow at the man. He did not notice as he was too busy scowling at a baby. McGonagall caught Lily's eyes, however and the two shared a look at the growing tension in the Potion's Master.

**He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.**

**"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back."**

**Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.**

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

Snape actually rolled his eyes in disgust. James laughed out loud and patted his son on the back proudly. "That's my boy! Famous before he even gets to school. You know he could really- Ow!" James rubbed the back of his head carefully and leaned away from Lily, who had just smacked him. "What was that for?"

"Because you are celebrating something Harry may not appreciate not to mention he is famous because WE DIED!" She smacked him again and took the baby from his arms. James used both arms to rub his head. He looked up into the stormy eyes of his wife then down at his child who was staring at him in confusion. Harry seemed to pick up on his parents' moods and his bottom lip puckered out slightly, a tiny crease appearing in his small forehead.

"Oh," was all James could muster. "That."

Across the table, Alice and Frank leaned against each other in comfort cuddling their own baby between them.

**"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

**"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

**"Always wanted to shake your hand - I'm all of a flutter."**

**"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."**

Everyone looked at the little wizard who giggled at the attention and turned a bright pink in response.

Snape crossed his arms over his chest and muttered "Pathetic" while giving Dedalus one of his most sour looks.

**"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."**

The man in question gave another little giggle.

**"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!" Harry shook hands again and again - Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.**

"You know, that would get really annoying very quickly, actually," stated Benjy with a slightly disturbed look.

"Not to mention the safety risk," said Mad-Eye irritatedly. "Imagine that any one of them could have simply shook his hand and then apparated them both somewhere unknown in a heartbeat." Lily pressed baby Harry slightly more firmly to her chest as Alice and Frank unconsciously did the same. Everyone else stared at the ex-Auror in dawning horror.

"Ah," said Hagrid quietly, "hadn't thought o' that."

Mad-Eye nodded in satisfaction at the fear in many of the Order members' eyes. "Good, maybe you all will start taking the safety of those around you more seriously in the future." He looked at James and Lily and shrugged, "Or in the past, as the case may be."

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.**

**"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

The sneer left Snape's face to be replaced by a look of dawning knowledge. McGonagall caught his eye with the same look. The two of them turned as one looked at Dumbledore who had lost some of the twinkle in his eyes once more. He shook his head at his two former colleagues as if to say, "not now."

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you."**

**"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

**"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. **

"What? Why wouldn't Harry need it? Wouldn't he need it more having grown up away from the Magical world and all?" asked Arabella.

"He is implying that because of what happened on Hallowe'en 1981, young Potter is an expert on the Dark Arts…which is incredibly stupid," said Aberforth with a look at the Potters. It was interesting meeting those people along with the baby Harry who was quietly sleeping in his mother's arms. How that baby grew up to be the determined young man he met at the Hog's Head with everything that happened, Aberforth didn't know. He was simply grateful to the young man for all he had done for the Wizarding World.

**"You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.**

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. **

Lily noticed Snape's ever increasingly sour face as the book described Harry's fame more and more. She pursed her mouth and narrowed her eyes, trying to think of a way to break past Snape's mask and get him to see her son as an individual.

**At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

**"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry."**

**Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.**

**Hagrid grinned at Harry.**

**"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

"Yes, and I'm sure all the adulation and ego stroking did not go amiss. Because what we really need is an even bigger-headed idiot boy swaggering down the halls of Hogwarts thumbing his nose at authority and making sure to look the epitome of cool doing so," growled Snape, forgetting finally where he was and who he was with.

Dumbledore frowned and sighed. McGonagall shook her head reproachfully and said, "Severus!"

"That's it!"

Everyone turned to Lily as she abruptly stood up startling the baby in her arms awake. She marched over to her former friend and looked down on him. Snape's face morphed from extreme disgust and dislike to one of slight shock and wariness.

Lily took a deep breath so she wouldn't scream in the man's face. "You are talking about my son, Severus. MY son." He quirked an eyebrow at her as if to say, "and?" Lily huffed and shifted Harry in her arms as he looked on with a crinkled brow and a puckered lip. "He is not James. And I would have hoped that you would see that, or at least see that this child came from me as well, or have you completely decided to hate me and everything connected to me?" Snape opened his mouth in a little "Oh" before shutting it again and looking down at his lap, unable to keep Lily's angry eyes any longer.

Dumbledore grinned under his mustache watching the scene and everyone else looked on in awe as Lily Potter laid into the dour Potion's Master. "Well, I think the solution is that you see Harry as not a miniature James, which I assure you he isn't anyway. And, not as a mini-me either. We are all individuals, created by two people, but by no means replicas of those people. How would you feel if people treated you as though you were your father?"

At this Snape snapped his head up, eyes stormy. "My father was nothing better than a mongrel. A beast of a man and you know this." Lily nodded even before he finished.

"Yes, I know this, and I have never treated you like you were his clone. So, you will not be treating Harry as though he were James' or my own clone either." With that, Lily handed Harry over to Snape who had stuck out his arms automatically to receive the baby. He looked down at the now unhappy child in consternation, as though wondering how on Earth he got in that position. Finally he looked up at Lily.

"And what exactly am I to do with," Snape shifted the frowning baby in his arms awkwardly, "this?"

Lily gave the man a smug smile before turning around and marching back to her own chair. "You are going to hold him and take care of him," she said as she sat down again, "At least until lunch." Snape looked down at Harry and frowned again causing the little boy to frown in return.

James leaned over to whisper in his wife's ear while watching his rival hold his son warily. "Lils, are you ABSOLUTELY sure about this?" She simply patted him on his cheek and smiled innocently giving him his answer.

**"Is he always that nervous?"**

**"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?"**

Harry shifted uncomfortably in Snapes arms, squirming in a way that the man was forced to bring the baby closer to his body or drop him. And that was not an option. Lily might be peeved now but he knew if he dropped her baby, Snape would be in for a world of pain and extremely loud yelling. He remembered Lily Evan's temper well and really did not want to get a dressing down again in so short a time in front of a good number of people.

**Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trashcan.**

**"Three up... two across he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry."**

**He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.**

**The brick he had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."**

**He grinned at Harry's amazement. **

Hagrid chuckled. "His eyes looked 'bout ready to pop out his skull an' he turned his head every which way he nearly gave himself a crick." He smiled fondly at the baby still frowning up at Snape. "Twas damn adorable at the time, too."

Snape resisted making a face at the Care of Magical Creatures teacher and returned his concentration to not dropping the small, squirmy living thing he was holding.

**They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.**

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

"The collapsible ones are a joke, they are leakier than a sieve and a waste of money and potion's ingredients," said Snape with conviction. Lily nodded as did a few others who could brew potions without blowing themselves up regularly.

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad..."**

"Why didn't that witch just say a knut? I mean, they're the same amount..sooo," said Charlie. Most people just shrugged.

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever -" There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...**

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid.**

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was –**

**"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. **

"Which is impressively short since Harry was always on titchy side," laughed Fred.

**He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:**

**Enter, stranger, but take heed **

**Of what awaits the sin of greed, **

**For those who take, but do not earn, **

**Must pay most dearly in their turn. **

**So if you seek beneath our floors **

**A treasure that was never yours, **

**Thief, you have been warned, beware **

**Of finding more than treasure there.**

"Except if you're Harry and his friends," said Caradoc with a smirk, "and do the goblins a service in removing a Dark object…"

"And one dragon!" Someone shouted in contribution.

Caradoc's smirk grew into an almost smile as he nodded in agreement. "And one dragon for unselfish and certainly non-greedy purposes. Just goes to show," he shrugged, "Even when something's written in stone, its not written in stone."

The Prewett and Weasley twins laughed uproariously while most everyone else sighed and shook their heads while trying to hide smiles.

Little Harry, reacting to the atmosphere, squawked happily and wriggled himself finally into a comfortable position in the Potion Master's arms. He gave a small sigh and leaned into the black clothed chest. Snape looked down at the baby with a frown. He attempted to remove the infant's slimy hands from his many buttons before one broke only to have Harry grab hold of his forefinger in a surprisingly strong hold. When he tried to draw away, Harry held on tightly and scowled up at the man. Snape sighed and decided his finger would be less likely to break in the baby's grasp than his clothing. Rolling his eyes in mild disgust, he looked up only to meet highly amused green eyes twinkling at him from across the table.

**"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

"Noted," Gideon stated solemnly nodding his head.

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a**

**vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.**

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."**

**"You have his key, Sir?"**

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. **

Fleur and several others wrinkled their noses at this.

**The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.**

**"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key. **

**The goblin looked at it closely. **

**"That seems to be in order."**

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."**

Lily perked up, interested in the mystery. "What _is_ the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen? Is important to the story? What do you need with it Albus? Why so secretive hmm?" asked Lily in rapid succession.

Albus blinked at the onslaught of question before answering, to the amusement of everyone else around the table. "I believe, Lily," he started.

"Mrs. Potter."

Albus raised his eyebrows at the red haired witch. "Excuse me?"

"I'm still angry at you for your poor choices regarding my son and his childhood. So you may call me Mrs. Potter," said Lily crossing her arms and quirking an eyebrow at the former Headmaster.

Albus stroked his beard distractedly. "You told the Weasley twins to call you Lily and you do not know them, yet you refuse me the privilege?"

Lily scooted her chair back from the table. She re-crossed her arms and swung her trainer-clad feet to rest on the edge of the round table, leaning back in her comfortable chair. "Technically, I only extended that privilege to Fred here, although is most welcome to call me Lily as well." She nodded and smiled at the two sitting near their family. They smiled and waved back exaggeratedly at her.

Albus attempted to smile kindly at her. "But…"

"But, they're not you," interrupted Lily, looking back to Dumbledore with a harder gaze. "And you haven't answered my questions," Lily pointed out, settling back in her chair with an air of control. James blinked at his wife, looked over to Dumbledore, then scooted his chair back to join his wife in repose. She smiled at him and patted his arm encouragingly. The rest of the Order members around the table all tried to suppress chuckles at the antics of the Potters. It was supremely satisfying for some to see Albus Dumbledore pitted against Lily Potter and come out the worse for wear.

Sighing, Albus shrugged uncomfortably. "I believe your answers will be revealed in the course of the story, Mrs. Potter. Please forgive me if I seemed to be evasive on the matter."

McGonagall snorted outright and muttered under her breath something sounded suspiciously like "Evasive my arse." Snape continued the whispered diatribe with what sounded like "Darn right vague and misleading as always." The two former colleagues shared amused looks before paying attention to the room at large again. Tonks just shook her head at her former professors' behavior and continued reading, while McGonagall absent-mindedly began playing with Little Harry's tiny kicking feet.

**The goblin read the letter carefully.**

**"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have Someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"**

**Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.**

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

"Ha! He sure doesn't show a resemblance to you, does he Lily?" asked a laughing Marlene.

Lily turned slightly pink but stuck her tongue out at her friend in good-natured childishness. "Why, Marly? What gave you that impression? Just because Harry shows himself to be just as curious as his mother doesn't make us related or anything. Nope, absolutely not."

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."**

"Hagrid! That's as good as inviting Potter to go ahead and stick his nose in things he ought not to," admonished Snape, unconsciously holding baby Harry closer to his body as though to protect him from his future self's foolish curiosity and the results of investigating dangerous things. The action was not lost on the current Headmistress or Harry's mother, who both shared a look and a small smile.

**Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in - Hagrid with some difficulty - and were off.**

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.**

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late - - they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.**

"**I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"**

"The spelling," said Sirius knowledgably. Then, "Ow!" after Remus smacked him on the arm and muttered "Idiot" good-naturedly.

**"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. **

"See?" said Sirius appealing to the werewolf. "Hagrid agrees with me." Remus just rolled his eyes wacked Sirius in the arm again for his troubles.

**"An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."**

Benjy nodded at this looking a little green at the thought of the Gringotts carts. "Oh, me too, Hargid, I hate those things."

**He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.**

Dedalus patted the half-giant sympathetically on the hand as the Hagrid listening started to turn the same shade described in the book.

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid.**

Benjy whistled. "That's a lot of easily accessible funds for an eleven year old. You sure it is a good idea to allow a child that kind of access to such a large sum when he comes with no previous experience of budgeting or money management?"

"Spoken like a true accountant's son, Benj," Hestia said fondly. The man just shrugged and looked to Dumbledore to answer the question.

It was James, however, that spoke up. "Hmm, actually, from the sounds of it, that is Harry's trust vault. That is what was set aside for Hogwarts tuition and supplies. So really this should teach him to budget properly and all that. Not that he really has to worry, as he is heir to the Potter estate and all of its holdings. And no matter how much…certain parties," James looked briefly towards Dumbledore with a slight sneer, "wish for more monetary contributions to the war effort, the Potter estate is quite vast and will all go to Harry at some point. Better he start off with the trust vault then ease into the rest when he hits his majority."

A lot of thoughtful looks and "hmms" met this statement before Dumbledore sighed and signaled for the reading to commence again.

**All Harry's - it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. **

"Impossible," James spoke again, this time with a bit of steel in his voice. "The Dursleys could not get access to those vaults for many reasons, the more prevalent being they are Muggles and have no access to Gringotts itself. Secondly, it is a _Potter_ vault. Only Harry or his _Magical_ guardian can access the vaults at this point and that doesn't even begin to take into account all of the anti-theft and coercion spells the goblins have placed on the account itself. So, no, those…those…Where are we in this insult thing?" asked James looking to Sirius who shrugged and looked to Remus who frowned and scratched his head.

Snape sighed and adjusted the precarious bundle of baby Potter in his arms. "'N' Potter. We lasted used the letter 'n'."

James blinked at the man before half grinning, half grimacing at his former childhood enemy. "Er, cheers, then, I suppose, Sni…Snape." Snape sneered at James and unconsciously tightened his arms causing little Harry to grunt in protest. A small fist wacked him in the chest. Looking down, Snape saw green eyes squinting up at him in protest of the tight hold. He loosened his arms slightly and watched somewhat bemusedly as the baby burrowed contented into his robes again. The same small hand that had hit Snape snagged a swath of black robe and brought it to his toothless mouth. Snape's lipped curled watching (and feeling) his robes soak with baby spit but he was loath to move or disengage his clothing from the slimy mouth of the infant as the infuriating thing finally stopped squirming again. He rolled his eyes at his own softness and looked up, catching Lily's blinding smile directed at him. Well, if putting up with slimy, wet clothing, squirming infant, and a host of other annoyances was going to get him _that_ smile from Lily, perhaps he could put up with for a little while longer.

James nodded then and continued his thought. "So, anyway those, erm, obscene, obese, obnoxious, offensive, odious organisms will not and could not get any of your money, Harry."

Quite a few people snorted in amusement at the term "organism."

**How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.**

"Those utter and complete fu-" Bill started before his mother covered his mouth. She too looked angry but maintained the need to keep language as clean as possible.

**Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.**

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

Bill shook his head and gave Hagrid a sympathetic look. "One speed only, mate. Sorry."

**"One speed only," said Griphook.**

"Oh dear-"

"Brother ours-"

"You've been working with the Goblins so much-"

"You're turning into one!" Fred and George grinned at each other before backing away from Bill in mock horror.

"See? You're going a bit-"

"Green even as we speak!" Fred pointing a shaking finger at his brother and gasped before putting his hand to his forehead and pretending to faint in floppy mess in his chair. George was about to do the same when Bill's wand appeared and sent a spell at his "unconscious" brother, causing a matching pair of hoop earrings spring forth on his freckled lobes. George laughed when Fred jumped up with a squawk. The twins looked in Bill in accusation before turning to each other and laughing. "We match again!" They said in unison.

"Not yet you don't," growled Mad-Eye as he rolled his own wand menacingly in hand, " but I am more than willing to blast off an ear and make you a true matching set again of you two don't SHUT UP!" The last was yelled and the twins both made motions of zipping their mouths shut before saluting the ex-Auror and sitting quietly at the table with their hands clasped in front of them in poses of attendant pupils.

Mad-Eye grunted and put his wand away again looking slightly disappointed.

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.**

Lily covered her eyes. "Thank you, Hagrid."

"Not'a probl'm," mumbled Hagrid, turning a bit pink under his beard.

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

**"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

**"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.**

"An astute question," nodded Kingsley.

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.**

"Er…Nice," commented Mundungus, looking a bit green at the thought.

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least - but at first he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

Aberforth snorted. "Yet," he said under his breath.

**"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.**

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life - more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

"Good," muttered the Prewitt twins together.

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

"Hagrid!" admonished McGonagall before loudly sighing and putting her head in her hands in an effort to not yell further.

This did not stop Snape from snorting quietly and muttering "idiot" to himself. From the light smack he felt from his right he guessed Minerva had heard him but from the small curve of her lips that he could see, she did not entirely find fault with his assessment.

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

**"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact. "**

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him) slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

"It is rather a strange experience if one has not had occasion for one of these fittings before," stated Marlene knowledgably. Many around the table nodded in agreement and slight discomfort remembering their own experiences with pins and magical tape measures zipping around unpleasantly.

**"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. **

"Pfft, what for when it's the wand that chooses the wizard. Prolly this kid's father just wanted to be rid of him for half an hour," said Caradoc with a sneer.

**He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to took at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

The Hogwarts current and former employees laughed at this knowing it was not really all that probable. Sirius and Remus laughed for a different. "Whoever this kid is, he kinda sounds like you Prongs," said Sirius as he good-naturedly smacked his friend's arm.

"Hey! I was not that bad."

Lily and Snape both snorted derisively. When James turned wounded eyes to his wife, she simply folded her arms, rolled her eyes and said, "Please," before smirking and turning back to Tonks. James stuck his lower lip out in an absurdly exaggerated pout.

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

"Wha…hey! I was _nothing _like that!" yelled in outrage at being compared to the boy who had beat his son and caused him so much pain.

"Hmm, you are correct Potter." All eyes turned to Snape. "You, are in fact, far skinnier than this Dudley appears to be." James blinked at the man, a developing habit, it seemed. "Other that the issue of accumulated fat deposits on one's body, however, I see no difference in the description," finished Snape with a particularly vicious glare.

"Why you-" James drew his wand quickly but was stopped by Lily's hand on his arm. She merely pointed to his chair in a very clear "sit" gesture. He was about to protest but complied with one look at his wife's face.

"First, husband mine, were you going to curse Severus while he is holding OUR baby?" Lily asked in quiet voice that was no less intense for it. James frowned then looked at Snape. He opened his mouth but shut it again quickly his eyes going wide. James looked down at his own hands then unable to look Lily in the eye.

"I forgot," he quietly murmured, as though he was trying to explain it to himself.

"I can see that," snapped Lily. James shrunk a little more in his chair. "I also agree with Severus' assessment of your character at the age of eleven." At this James turned brown eyes on his wife, real hurt showing in their depths, his face morphing from contrite to anger quickly. Lily held up her hand to stave off the imminent explosion. "I said I agree with his assessment of the child you were," at James growingly angry posture, Lily squeezed his arm. "BUT…but, James, you have since grown up. The child you were acted very much like my sister's son, but the man you've become is so much more. I would not have married you otherwise. You are a good man with a good heart and I would hope that you know how much I love that about you and how much I love you now." All anger vanished from James features as he smiled lovingly at his wife. She reached up and caressed his cheek. "It doesn't make your younger self any less obnoxious, love, but you learned from those mistakes thankfully and know that I accept your childhood and all of your faults and love not in spite of them, but because of them. So stop acting like the school boy you were and start acting like the man I married." James simply nodded and leaned into his wife. A quiet "Yes'm" was heard only by Sirius and Lily. This didn't stop him from peering over Lily's shoulder giving Snape a brief glare.

"Hmm, yes well, as much as I feel the need for popcorn right now, how's about we press on, yah?" asked Tonks as she picked the book up from the table where it had rested.

"Awkward…" muttered Charlie before Tonks started causing a few chuckles from his family members around him.

**"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

**"No," said Harry.**

**"Play Quidditch at all?"**

**"No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

"Oh, you wound me, Prongslet," sighed Sirius. Remus leaned over and flicked his friend in the forehead. "Ow! What is with the violence around this table today?"

Remus just smiled at the man, "Harry was Muggle-raised, Paddy, which means he has all the knowledge of our world that Muggle-borns have. He wouldn't know anything about anything magical, including Quidditch."

"Still," pouted Sirius rubbing his forehead.

**"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

Minerva scoffed at this. "No one does and whoever this child is thinks he knows a great deal but truly is showing his ignorance, at least to those of us reading." Many nodded in agreement.

**"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been - imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" **

Snape's eyes narrowed at this. So, this irritating child was one his snakes, or was convinced that he would be, in any case. That narrowed the suspects of who this child was considerably. The prospects did not fill him with hope, however.

**"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

**"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

Hagrid frowned slightly at this while Aberforth snorted. "Who is this kid? There are more people in this world that Spoiled brats and their servants. This kid needs a swift kick."

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less every second.**

"Agreed," said Molly folding her arms and looking disapprovingly at the book.

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage – **

"The two words 'gamekeeper' and 'savage' are in no way synonymous, young man," said Dumbledore with a frown. He too had a good guess as to the identity of the boy in the book whom progressively showed himself to be ever more repugnant.

**lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

**"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.**

"Thanks, 'Arry," said Hagrid, sending the baby representative of the boy in the room a beaming smile. Snape found it slightly disturbing having smiles sent his way even if they were aimed at the baby currently working on soaking the entire front of his robes in slobber.

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

"Nosy little git," muttered Fred to his twin who grimaced but nodded in agreement.

**"They're dead," said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

"Ha! Jilly, I am liking your son more and more. 'They're dead'… priceless!" Caradoc laughed while others looked slightly nauseated at the reminder of James' and Lily's death.

**"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

"What, pretentious little snots?" asked Aberforth.

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."**

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"**

"Ugh, I'm having flashbacks to my own childhood now. This kid just keeps getting better and better," said Sirius with disgust.

"Just think what a shame it is that this child probably learned this from his parents. Despicable," commented Hestia.

**But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

"You know, it's rude to start a conversation with someone you don't know and never introduce yourself," stated Molly reprovingly.

"And did that boy give you any evidence anywhere in that conversation that he was anything but rude? Fitting isn't it?" asked Emmeline.

**Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).**

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. **

"You fell for that, Hagrid?" asked Arthur disbelievingly.

"Nah," said the half-giant, "But I only really jus' met 'im tha' day, so I didn' really want ter push, yeh know?"

**Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

**"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.**

"Didn' tell me about tha' savage part though," said Hagrid once again frowning at the book.

**"-and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in."**

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were - he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones**

**with magic in 'em in a long line 0' Muggles - look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"**

Lily smiled at Hagrid. It was nice to be recognized for one's skills not dying at the hands of a mad man.

**"So what is Quidditch?"**

**"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like - like soccer in the Muggle world - everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

"No it's not!" exclaimed Charlie, James and Tonks at the same time. All three looked at each other and laughed.

"Fer you lot, maybe," muttered Hagrid.

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

"Ayayay, he really doesn't know anything does he?" asked James forlornly.

"You wouldn't know anything if you were raised by Muggles, too, you know," said Lily looking a little irritated at the way her husband was talking about their son.

"You knew plenty," James threw back in rebuttal.

"I had help in the matter, Harry does not."

James still looked slightly sad and confused. "So?"

Lily turned to her husband and narrowed her eyes. He leaned back slightly warily. "So shut it."

**"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"**

"Hey!" cried those from the aforementioned house in outrage.

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Harry gloomily. **

"We would have welcomed you and let you thrive," stated Hestia firmly as Benjy, Tonks and Dedalus nodded in agreement.

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."**

"That is patently untrue Hagrid," said Dumbledore slightly sadly. It seemed that Hagrid was spreading prejudices that he had hoped Harry would not be privy to. "We have many fine examples of good Slytherins here at this table." He nodded at his brother who grunted and crossed his arms and Snape who simply glared at the half-giant.

"Sorry, sorry," said Hagrid holding his hands up in a helpless gesture.

**"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

**They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

"Unfortunately while I applaud his efforts to expand his magical knowledge, he cannot curse his cousin and not be reprimanded for magic use outside of Hogwarts," said McGonagall sounding slightly disappointed at the prospect being unable to curse Dudley Dursley.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

"Mmm, maybe yes and maybe no. Remember how young Harry was when he mastered the Patronus. He might actually have the power needed to perform complex spells that early on," said Remus thoughtfully.

**Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. **

Snape felt his eyebrows inch up in surprise. The brat had been in potions, at least ingredients-wise? Lily positively beamed. "I'll bet he takes after me in potions with a budding interest like that," she stated proudly. Snape looked quickly down at the table before she could see the beginnings of disquiet on his features.

**Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.**

**"Just yer wand left - A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."**

**Harry felt himself go red.**

George snorted, "That's a strange medical condition, Harrikins, turning different colors, maybe you have that checked out, hmm?"

**"You don't have to -"**

Molly sighed. "Only Harry would get embarrassed over a birthday present."

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at - an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."**

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.**

"Thank you, Hagrid, that was very nice and thoughtful of you," said Lily smiling at the man and James game him a thankful little smile of his own for the man who showed his son such kindness.

**"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now - only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."**

**A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.**

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

"I've always wondered why that wand was on display," said Benjy. "Do you know, Dumbledore?"

"Alas, I do not. I would hazard a guess that it is one of the first wands made by the Ollivander family, but I do not believe it is a famous wand or that it belonged to a famous person as it is not marked thusly," said Dumbledore stroking his beard thoughtfully.

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

"Hmm, now that is an interesting reaction," said Mad-eye leaning forward slightly.

James looked at the ex-Auror suspiciously, "Good interesting or bad interesting?"

Mad-Eye focused both eyes on the man briefly before muttering, "Neither, or both depends on the outcome, doesn't it, Potter?"

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.**

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

**"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."**

Lily held her wand up proudly and displayed his swishy quality for all to see.

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."**

**Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.  
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**"And that's where..."**

**Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.**

"Well that's not creepy at all," said Fabian who turned to his twin and began exaggeratedly reaching toward him only to then poke Gideon in the forehead. Hard.

"Ouch, prat. Keep your creepy fingers and moony eyes to yourself, thanks."

**"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..."**

**He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

**"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

"Here's what I don't get. Why was your wand snapped when you got expelled, Hagrid?" asked Charlie. "I mean, getting expelled is one thing, but that doesn't make you a criminal, you could have just gone to another school of magic on the continent or across the pond, you know?" Hagrid looked at his fellow dragon enthusiast for a second before slowly turning his head to the former headmaster with a look of dawning understanding and anger.

Dumbledore sighed. "It was part of the terms we agreed on with the ministry at the time, Hagrid to keep you out of Azkaban."

Sirius snorted in disgust. "So the lovely United Kingdom's wizarding Ministry judicious system strikes again. Again we have a wizard accused of a crime and without very much investigation and no trial he is treated like the scum of the earth and his wand is snapped. Nice, so glad I live here and vote here, does a world of job for all of us tax paying citizens, yah?"

Everyone was quiet at this, thinking of their own times when the ministry had failed in some way or another. It did not speak well for the purity of the wizarding governing body over the last century.

**"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

**"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

"Nice way to be subtle, Hagrid," chuckled Caradoc.

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

"Did he just ask an inappropriate question? It's none of Ol' Ollie's business which arm gets more of a work out when he thinks he's alone," scoffed Fred in mock indignation before ducking his mother's hand.

"Get you mind and mouth out of the gutter before I take you over my knee like the child you are behaving like."

**"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."**

**Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) **

"We all do, no worries," said Emmeline with a smile.

**waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.**

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try -"**

**Harry tried - but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

**"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."**

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

"How many did he eventually try, Hagrid?" asked McGonagall.

The half-giant simply shrugged. "Loss count after ten," was all he said.

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. **

Lily smiled and clapped her hands. "Excellent, Harry, that wand sounds lovely."

James just cheered that Harry had produced Gryffindor colors until Remus pointed out that those were actually phoenix colors, not necessarily the lion House's.

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "**

**He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious…"**

**"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"**

"Indeed, we all would like to know," muttered Mad-Eye suspiciously.

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar."**

"Oh, just that," said Mad-Eyed a bit disappointedly.

"What? Just that, what? What does that mean?" asked Lily, looking to her son in her friend's arms worriedly.

"It will be revealed in the books, my dear, I am sure, but rest assured it is not a bad thing," said Dumbledore soothingly.

**Harry swallowed.**

**"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."**

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, Garrick has a tendency to leave many of his customers with the same feelings for him."

"Who's Garrick?" asked Fred looking confused. "I thought we were talking about Ollivander's."

Snape rolled his eyes in annoyance. Idiot.

Dumbledore merely chuckled again and leveled his former student with a twinkling gaze. "They are one and the same, Frederick, Garrick is Mr. Ollivander's first name and since the two of us have known one another for many, many years, we have allowed ourselves the privilege of informal address."

"Huh, you learn something new everyday, I suppose," said Fred thoughtfully.

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.**

**"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

"Yes, I always felt that way going from the magical world to the Muggle. Of course, I felt that way after a trip anywhere a bit different and then returning home," said Marlene looking a bit nostalgic.

**"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life - and yet - he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry - I mean, the night my parents died."**

"While I disagree about being special," said Kingsley, "The argument that he is famous for his parents dying and something happening that he can't remember is valid. And also rather insightful for an eleven year old."

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

**"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact."**

**Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.**

**"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me... See yeh soon, Harry."**

"Hagrid, you did not explain how to get onto the platform from the Muggle entrance, nor did you explain about wearing the proper Muggle clothes to the station or any other number of useful items that really ought to have been discussed at this juncture," admonished McGonagall.

"Forgot, sorry P'fessor," said Hagrid in a small voice. McGonagall simply shook her head in exasperation.

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

"Whew! Well that's that, thank Merlin," said Tonks putting the book back onto the table.

"Wait, how did Harry manage his trunk and all his purchases, plus the owl all the way on the train and then to his house?" asked Emmeline. "And for that matter, how did he get from the train station in Surrey to his house in the first place? And why did you not see him safely home, Hagrid?"

Hagrid just blinked at the witch. He had never thought of those things before. He figured Harry would have just gotten off the train and made it home alright.

"And while we are asking those questions, we might ask about an eleven year old getting into the house and staying by himself at all," said Marlene, warming up to the idea. "I mean, it took the Dursleys at least two days to reach that little shack so did Harry stay at number 4 by himself for another day or so? Is that really safe?"

"I assure you all that Harry was just fine and managed his new possessions very well. I had ordered Hagrid back to Hogwarts so do not blame him for negligence that I rightfully should shoulder," stated Dumbledore firmly to increasingly agitated gathering.

Aberforth snorted. "Too right."

Kingsley clapped his hands excitedly. "Well, should we press on then? Perhaps lunch after the next chapter?"

"Excellent, Kingsley. Who would like to read next?" asked Dumbledore.

"I weel read, eef no-one objects," said a dainty voice. Everyone looked in shock at the blonde haired woman sitting next to Bill.

"Blimey, Fleur, I totally forgot you were there," muttered Fred, looking as shocked as anyone seeing that he had been sitting next to her as well. "It's not like you've said much before this."

The petite French woman shrugged daintily. "I deed not know 'Arry at thees point, and saw no purpose een my speaking out of turn."

Fred and George both made a "huh" noise and head nod. Tonks got up and handed the book to Fleur with a quiet, "have fun," before taking her seat next to Remus once again.

Fleur was about to begin when little Neville let out a cry. Frank apologized and went to change his son's nappy. Little Harry simply snuggled closer to Snapes chest and worked to soak a new patch of black robe. Snape sighed as he watched the infant make contented little movements. Really, the brat wasn't so bad when he couldn't talk back. A bit slimy, but still, not utterly obnoxious as his future self.

Frank finally came back in with a much happier Neville in his arms. Fleur smiled at the man before opening the book to the next chapter. "Chapter seex; ze journey from nine and three quarters," she read.


End file.
